Aki, Fuyu, Haru, Natsu
by Natsunoaida
Summary: Fuyu Saatchi is entrusted with the duty of being the close friend that Sasuke needs. What'll happen when over time, her feelings grow to something more and Sasuke changes dramatically over time? More importantly, for the worst. SasuOC  In progress
1. Aki 00

_*Throughout the story, the seasons will change so the title of the chapters will too. _  
><em>Around every 3-5 chapters, the season will change, so it would be like "Aki 004." then the next chapter would be "Fuyu 001." <em>  
><em>Just wanted to explain it so no one gets confused. This chapter is '00' because it's sort of like a prologue, but I didn't wanna name it that~<em>

_In advance, sections that are in Italics mean that it's a flashback. Sentences that are in italics are thoughts. _

_Enjoy!_

:-:-:

_**Aki 00. **_

The once vibrant green leafs turned golden brown due to the slow transition into fall.

Young Fuyu Saatchi, the apple of clan leaders Chifuyu and Yukito Saatchi eyes, sat quietly at the dining table, watching her beloved parents socialize with their fellow comrades.

"Have you heard about the Uchiha Clan massacre?" one asked.

Chifuyu sighed sadly. "I don't think there's a person in this village that isn't aware of it. It's terrible."

"They say it was an initiation for Itachi to join the Akatsuki." Yukito added "Kami forbid he does anything more to this village."

"I worry about Sasuke." Chifuyu said sincerely "Just suddenly being alone like that, I can only imagine what it must feel like."

"Must be hell." another of their comrades voiced "Let's just hope he doesn't go down the same path."

Although their conversation sincere, and their intention good, the group of four adults weren't aware of little Fuyu catching onto their every word.

_Massacre? _She asked herself mentally. _'tachi-san? Why are they speaking about him like he did something bad? _She asked herself again, curiosity growing in her heart each passing second.

Letting it get the best of her, she shuffled over to her father, who easily towered over her.

"Papa." she whispered, gently pulling on his sleeve to gain his attention. "What did 'tachi-san do?" she asked childishly.

At a loss for words, Yukito looked at his daughter through sad eyes before lifting her up and holding her near his heart. "Itachi did something…something unforgivable." he whispered

"What did he do?" she asked slightly panicked.

Her father took in a deep breath. "Never mind that." he answered smiling sadly "But can you do something for me?" he asked, putting her down gently.

Fuyu nodded her head confidently, more than willing to help her father with whatever he requested.

"See if you can check on Sasuke, will you? At this point in time, he must be in need of friends."

"Would he be at home?"

"No." he father asked firmly "Whatever you do, don't go to the Uchiha compound no matter the circumstance."

Her eyes widened slightly at her father's urgency, but went against questioning is orders.

"Go up to the hospital. It's more likely than not he'll be there." he finally answered. "Do this for me, Fuyu." he added, cupping her round rosy cheeks.

Her bright golden brown eyes twinkled brightly, gazing up at her father with happiness.

She nodded her head happily, giving him a tight embrace before racing out the Saatchi compound.

_Continue being his friend, Fuyu. _Yukito wished mentally as he watched his 8 year old daughter disappear from his sight. _Save him from the path of darkness._

:-:-:

Fuyu happily sprinted towards the hospital, using the basic techniques she's learned at the academy in the few 2 years she's been there.

"_Check on Sasuke…He must be in need of friends." "Do this for me, Fuyu." _Her father's voice echoed in her head and she neared the hospital entrance.

She slowly entered the building, letting her curious eyes glance at every active thing inside. Finally, she approached the counter, which she was barely tall enough to see a few inches over.

"Excuse me?" she called quietly.

"Oh? Hi there sweetie." a nurse responded with a bright smile, leaning over the desk "What do you need?"

"May I see Sasuke Uchiha please?" she requested happily.

The nurse grew silent, already knowing what just transpired a few nights ago. "Give me a moment." she responded quietly.

During those moments, Fuyu looked around her, furthering her study of the hospital.

"Sweetie?" the nurse called, pulling her out of her thoughts. "Sasuke will be in room 10-B, do you think you can find it on your own?"

Fuyu nodded confidently. "Thank you!" she replied, bowing slightly before heading down a hallway beginning her search for new friend. Sasuke Uchiha.

A few moments passed since Fuyu left the front desk, and in those few moments Fuyu began to become worried if she was lost or not.

She spun around in a small circle, looking over the room names of those that surrounded her.

_Room 10-B? _She pouted to herself mentally. _I don't think it exists! _

"Fuyu?" a soft voice called from beside her, gaining her attention.

She turned to her right to finally found the one she's been searching for: "Sasuke!" she greeted happily before giving him a small hug.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, still being pulled close to her.

She pulled away questionably. "I came to check on you, to see if you were alright or not."

Sasuke's onyx eyes gazed into her golden brown ones. "I'm fine." he answered quietly, having his eyes say the complete opposite.

Fuyu's permanent smile slowly shrunk down to a frown. "Are you sure?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"I…" Sasuke began before looking down at his feet. "I don't know." he answered almost inaudibly.

Fuyu's heart broke slightly as she witness her close friend's sadness.

She stood there silent at a loss for words. _What am I supposed to do now Papa? _She asked mentally.

"Fuyu?" Sasuke whispered.

Her gaze immediately shot back up to Sasuke's eyes. "Yes?"

"Promise me you won't leave me alone." he requested softly, holding back the tears that were burning at the back of his eyes.

A small smile grew on Fuyu's lips. She held out her right hand with her pinky out. "I'll tell you what Sasuke, let's pinky promise each other that we'll never leave each other alone. No matter the circumstance." she offered happily.

Sasuke kept his gaze one her for a few moments, thinking over the offer she just gave him. After a few moments of hesitation, he held up his right hand, hooking his pinky with hers. "Promise." he agreed quietly.

Fuyu smiled brightly before abruptly pulling him into another hug. "I'll never, ever leave you Sasuke." she promised.

Slowly, Sasuke hugged her back, taking in all the promises she gave him in those few short moments. _And I promise I'll never leave you, Fuyu. _

_We'll always be friends. _They both thought simultaneously, still engaged in their hug.

Although promises are meant to last forever, pinky promises unbreakable, just like seasons, people and their motives change over time. Sometimes for the best. Others for the worst.

* * *

><p><em>Thank you so much for reading! Every read that my story gets means a lot to me. :)<em>  
><em>Please leave a reviewcomment about what you think about this chapter, and what I can/should work on. I'd really appreciate it!_

_-EZ_


	2. Aki 01

_The next Chapter will jump to where their in the Academy, then from then on I'll do a few chapters, then time skip, few chapters then time skip and so on...It'll make more sense when I upload the chapters. :)_

:-:-:

_**Aki 01. **_

"Mama! Papa! I'm going to go see Sasuke!" Fuyu announced before hurrying out the Saatchi compound.

_I wonder what we're going to do today. _She thought to herself as she ran past all the familiar landmarks that bordered the streets.

He long honey colored hair blew behind her in unorganized waves, but all the more graceful.

_2nd floor, door number 82. _She thought to herself as she finally reached Sasuke's own apartment.

She rushed up the stairs as fast as her small legs could take her, being all the more careful so as not to trip like she did the first time when Sasuke just left the hospital.

Out of breath, she finally reached the door which at one point seemed so far away, but was now right in front of her.

She balled up her small tan fist, and swiftly knocked on the door four times, bouncing with excitement.

After a few moments, Sasuke finally answered the door.

Eyes red, puffy and swollen. Nose stuffy and just as red as his eyes. And his usual smile not there anymore, as if someone came and completely threw it away, never to be found again.

Fuyu's bright smile soon dwindled down to a worried frown. "Sasuke, what's wrong?" she asked sadly.

Sasuke rubbed his eyes to rid of the tears before looking back up at Fuyu. "Nothing, I'm fine." he mumbled in response, concluding it with a sniffle.

Fuyu took hold of Sasuke's hand. "You know you can tell me anything right? That's what friends are for!" she reassured with a sad smile "so please, tell me what's wrong?"

His hands were freezing, the complete opposite of Fuyu's warm ones.

He missed being warm. He missed being greeted every day after the academy. He missed having dinner with his loved ones.

He missed his family.

Without warning, Sasuke burst back into tears.

Fuyu's brown eyes widen slightly, not knowing how to react.

"Sasuke." she said softly. "I'm sorry if it was something I said. Please don't cry." she pleaded.

"I'm so alone." he sobbed out.

Fuyu pulled him to a tight hug. One that he needed deeply.

Almost instantly, his sobs stopped, turning into smooth, relaxed breathing.

"Don't ever say that again." Fuyu requested sadly "You're never alone. I promise you. I'll always be here for you. Papa will always be there for you, and so will mama! Then there's everyone else in the village. We're all here for you Sasuke." she paused "And we'll be here for you, whether you know it or not. Just don't…don't ever say you're alone again." she whispered as a single tear fell from her eye, followed by another, then another.

She tightened her hold around Sasuke once he finally returned the hug.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you. But I'll do everything I can to help you with anything." she whispered.

Sasuke slowly pulled away from her. "Really, Fuyu?" he asked between sniffles.

Slyly rubbing her tears away, she grew a wide smile on her face. "Really Sasuke. Because…that's what friends are for."

_Friends. _Sasuke mused mentally. _"You're never alone. I promise you." _

Despite drying tears staining his cheeks slightly, a small smile formed on Sasuke's face, causing Fuyu's to grow even more.

"Why are you smiling Sasuke?" she asked curiously.

"You told me that I'm not alone." he whispered "I still feel like I am, but the best thing I can do is trust you."

Fuyu laughed lightly. "Of course you should trust me Sasuke." she responded happily. "C'mon, I know what will cheer you up even more." she added, pulling Sasuke out the doorway.

Sasuke allowed himself to be pulled down the stairs back the way Fuyu came from.

He went against asking her where she was taking him. He wanted something to distract him. Something to numb the pain.

_Please, continue being my friend Fuyu. _Sasuke requested mentally, running behind Fuyu's light brown hair.

:-:-:

After a few moments, Sasuke and Fuyu finally arrived at the Saatchi compound.

Despite being there numerous times before, Sasuke's eyes widened slightly at the sight of all the orange and red trees that littered the yard beautifully.

Fuyu smiled at his expression. "It's been a while since you've been over, huh Sasuke?"

Snapping himself out of his daze, he looked over to Fuyu. He shook his head slightly. "Are you sure they want me there?"

"Don't you remember what I said before? Mama and papa will always be there for you, so of course they want you here, my family is your family Sasuke." she reassured him. "Let's stop standing out here, I know you'll like what I have to show you."

Fuyu pulled Sasuke through the entrance of the compound into the main house. "Mama, papa?" Fuyu called as she and Sasuke took off their shoes.

"Fuyu? Sasuke!" her mother greeted happily. "It's been so long since I last saw you." she added, going over to him and crouching to his level.

Sasuke bowed respectfully. "It's a pleasure to see you again."

"Sasuke." Yukito greeted from a doorway.

Sasuke looked up to Yukito with a sad smile.

_He reminds me so much of Papa just…kinder. _he thought to himself.

"I'm guessing Fuyu brought you over for dinner?" Chifuyu asked with a smile resembling Fuyu's.

"Yep!" Fuyu answered happily. "You're making Onigiri and Katsuobushi right?"

_Onigiri and Katsuobushi? _Sasuke repeated mentally.

"Right. If I do remember correctly, those are you favorites, right Sasuke?" she asked kindly.

Sasuke slowly nodded his head.

"What are we standing around here for? Let's eat then." Yukiko suggested while walking back into the dining room, with his wife soon following suit.

Fuyu looked back at Sasuke, who appeared to be in shock.

"Sasuke?" she asked slightly worried "Are you alright?

Sasuke looked up at Fuyu with a small smile. "Thank you for bringing me here, it's been a while since I ate with someone." he replied "You really do know how to make me feel better."

"You are my friend after all." she replied happily. "We better not wait any longer, they don't taste as good if they're cold." she said happily as she hurried to the dining room.

Sasuke lingered at the entrance for a few more moments, studying the family of 3 meet together at the table, just like he used to do with his family.

Sasuke sighed lightly. _"My family is your family Sasuke." _

_Family. _Sasuke mused mentally. _I'll never be apart of one again. _He added as he finally entered the dining room, forcing a small smile onto his face.

* * *

><p><em>Thank you so much for reading! Every read that my story gets means a lot to me. :)<em>  
><em>Please leave a reviewcomment about what you think about this chapter, and what I can/should work on. I'd really appreciate it!_

_-EZ_


	3. Aki 02

_I'm sorry if I made Sakura seem like the bad guy in this chapter, I didn't mean to. ): She's actually my favorite female character. Gomen!_

:-:-:

_**Aki 02.**_

4 years have past.

16 different season changes. 4 years for the Konoha 13 to advance in their skills, techniques and knowledge, and hopefully mature. 4 more years for people to change.

Fuyu's curious eyes wandered around the classroom, despite knowing it like the back of her hand.

_Two cracks in the right top corner, three across the wall on the right. A squeaky step on the left side of the class room…_ She listed off as she scanned across the classroom.

As they did everyday, they found their target on Sasuke Uchiha.

Like every other day, he sat by himself, staring out the window to his left. Refusing to talk to anyone. Refusing to let anyone in.

Not even Fuyu.

_You've changed so much Sasuke. _She thought to herself, sighing lightly.

As if he read her mind, he sharply veered his gaze over to Fuyu locking his onyx eyes onto her golden brown ones.

_I'm so used to your glare Sasuke, it'll take a lot more to scare me away. _She thought to herself, maintaining her gaze at him.

Sasuke's calm, emotionless expression slowly turned into a scowl.

_Fuyu. _He growled mentally, showing it clearly in his eyes.

In contrast, Fuyu's eyes showed how hurt she was. Eventually, she tore her eyes away from his, focusing on something that isn't powerful enough to evoke the feelings she previously did anything to avoid.

_Why have you changed so much, Sasuke? _She asked herself, squeezing her eyes shut. Shutting out the heartbreak. Shutting out Sasuke's glare. Shutting out Sasuke's sadness.

Unknown to Fuyu, Sasuke maintained his glare on her. Only this time, his eyes not scolding but showing pure sadness.

He turned back around, looking back at the window the filtered in the Autumn sun's bright rays.

"_I promise I'll never leave you Sasuke." _a young Fuyu's voice echoed through his mind. _"I'll tell you what Sasuke, let's pinky promise each other that we'll never leave each other alone. No matter the circumstance."_

As much as he would deny it, almost everyday, that same voice, that same day, those same promises replayed in Sasuke's mind. Torturing him. Scolding him for even threatening to break those promises.

No matter what he did, he could never forget those words even after 4 years, no matter the circumstance.

_I hope you know I still remember those promises. _Sasuke thought to himself. _No matter how hard I try, I can't forget them._

"Class!" Iruka Sensei called, attempting to gain the bustling children's attention. "Class!" he repeated slightly louder.

Taking in an agitated sigh, he prepared to put on his tyrant teacher face. "SIT DOWN NOW!" He ordered, successfully gaining the students attention.

"It's about time." he sighed. "Anyways, I'm sure all of you know what tomorrow is."

"What's tomorrow Iruka Sensei!" Naruto asked from his seat.

"If you give me a moment, I'll be able to explain it Naruto." he replied through clenched teeth. "Tomorrow will be Academy Graduation day. Believe it or not, all of you are more than ready to start your lives as shinobi."

Every pair of ears perked up at the words 'start your lives as shinobi.'

"Shinobi?" a girl whispered to her friend beside her.

"I'm going to be the best!" a boy protested.

"No way, you'll have to go through me first!" another objected.

"Oh please. Like either of you can become successful shinobi." a girl countered.

Sasuke smirked silently at all their meaningless claims.

"Alright alright. That's enough." Iruka called. "Anyways, as of now, this is your last day o bring an academy student. From now on, you will be expected to think and act like a shinobi."

Naruto rose his hand enthusiastically, waving it in the air to increase his chances of being noticed. Not that the Jinchuuriki wouldn't be.

"Yes Naruto?" Iruka said exasperated.

As soon as he was called on, he slammed his right hand down onto the table. "One day, I'm going to become hokage. That way everyone will respect me…that way, I'm going to make everyone recognize my existence!" Naruto claimed loudly.

Fuyu couldn't help but crack a small smile at her comrades claim. _I have no doubt that you'll become hokage, Naruto. _She thought to herself, looking up at Naruto with admiration. _You did promise me after all._

She slowly scanned across the classroom, once again locking onto Sasuke. _Although, some promises are bound to be broken. _She added sadly.

:-:-:

"_So now, I bid you, my students farewell and a good luck on your future trials!" We were taught by the best. _Fuyu thought to herself.

Fuyu happily took in the scenery around her. Golden leafs that gently floated down from their various heights and piled gracefully on the ground.

Children who just started the academy a year ago, playing in the various piles. Something that she hasn't done in years.

Something she used to do with a particular someone.

"_Do this for me, Fuyu." _Fuyu clenched her fists as tightly as she could. _I let you down, papa. _She thought to herself as she tilted her head back, trying to refuse the tears from flowing down.

"Fuyu." a calm voice called from behind her.

Quickly shaking her tears away, she looked behind her right shoulder to her caller.

"Sasuke." she whispered, stopping so he could catch up to her.

Fuyu watched his every step, how careful they were, how calculated they were. _I guess that's one benefit to you changing._

"Fuyu." he repeated once he finally caught up to her.

"Sasuke." she repeated with a light smile tugging at her lips.

He looked over at her, and despite not having a visible smile, there was one showing clearly through his eyes. One that Fuyu could easily identify, causing her smile to grow even more.

"It's been a while." he finally said, turning his head back to look ahead of him.

Fuyu shrugged her shoulders. "I guess we just don't have any time to talk anymore."

"That's not it." he quickly objected. "We don't make time…for each other anymore."

"I know." she agreed quietly "I feel like, each day that passes we're getting farther and farther away from each other." she chuckled, trying to lighten up the situation.

"Do you remember our promise?" he asked out of the blue.

"Of course! How could I ever forget?" Fuyu responded happily.

"Our actions display that we have."

Fuyu stopped midstep as soon as those words left his mouth. Sasuke calmly looked behind him, noticing she was no long by his side.

"I don't think it could've been helped." she said, just below a whisper.

Sasuke rose an eyebrow, signaling that he wanted her to explain what she meant.

"Even when we were little" she began "after you finally left the hospital, and got back into a normal routine after that everyday you became more and more shut in. It progressed so much that over time, you completely shut me out." she explained, allowing a single tear to run down her right cheek. "I always wondered, 'what happened? why aren't we as close anymore?' But I could never figure it out." she said,

mostly to herself.

Another tear flowed.

She looked back up at Sasuke. "I miss being close to you. I miss being the one that you'd cry with. I miss being-"

"That was a long time ago." Sasuke interrupted.

Another tear flowed.

"I know that. But that shouldn't mean anything."

"You're constantly think about that, aren't you?" Sasuke asked, looking down. "About that time."

Fuyu nodded slightly. "I know you are too."

Another.

"I just don't want all that time we spent together, to go down the drain." she whispered. "Please Sasuke. Don't let go to waste." she pleaded quietly.

Another.

Sasuke looked up at Fuyu. His close comrade for as long as he could remember. The one he used to go to, just because he no longer had an older brother to depend on.

His _friend._

As soon as she started crying, she managed to stop just as quickly.

"Anyways, good luck tomorrow. I hope you get a team that help grow even more. And I hope that finally you get the satisfaction you've been searching for." she wished, rubbing the remainder tears from her eyes, preparing to separate their paths. Maybe for good.

"I hope we'll make time for each other." he responded, causing Fuyu to be at a loss for words. "I almost miss being close to you." he confessed reluctantly. "I wish I didn't have to depend on you so much back then, but I wish even more so that I didn't have to need you now."

At his surprise, Fuyu pull him into a tight embrace, causing their slight difference in height to be exaggerated.

"I don't care if that was supposed to be an insult or worse" she began "I'm just glad you miss me Sasuke."

Another and another.

After who knows how long, she finally pulled away revealing her tear stained face.

She backed a few feet away, gaining a small distance from her _friend. _

She held out her right hand, with her pinky out.

Her golden brown eyes intently stared into Sasuke's pure onyx ones, daring him to reject her offer, their tradition since they were little.

Finally giving in, he held up his right hand and hooked his pink with hers.

A bright smile formed across Fuyu's face as another tear ran down her cheek. "From now on, we'll promise to make time for each other. Even if it's just a few moments."

Sasuke simply smirked at her sudden change in mood. "Promise." he mumbled only loud enough so Fuyu could hear.

:-:-:

**For the first time, in a long time both Sasuke and Fuyu felt their brittle friendship begin to heal back into the strong as steel one they had formed when they were younger.**

* * *

><p><em>Thank you so much for reading! Every read that my story gets means a lot to me. :)<em>  
><em>Please leave a reviewcomment about what you think about this chapter, and what I can/should work on. I'd really appreciate it!_

_-EZ_


	4. Aki 03

_**Aki 03. **_

Fuyu laid in her bed, tilting over on her right side, staring at the clock that sat by her bed.

_6:23. _She read to herself mentally, still counting down to the time where she officially becomes a Genin, and finally meets her official teammates. Whom she'll have to protect and trust for nearly the rest of her life.

A light smile graced her lips. _I wonder who I'll be teamed up with. Hopefully someone funny…but not careless. Along with someone a little laid back but not lazy like Shikamaru. _She thought to herself, smirking at the thought of Shikamaru's demeanor.

Rolling over onto her stomach, Fuyu clutched her fluffiest pillow against herself tightly.

_I hope Sasuke get's a good team too…_She sighed quietly. _Then again, there isn't many people who are good enough for Sasuke. Including me. _

Fuyu rolled over a few more times, growing agitated of waiting for the time to pass by.

She looked back over to the clock that sat silently on her nightstand. _6:25. It's only been three minutes! I don't think I can wait any longer. _she thought to herself, her curiosity and anxiety growing each second.

She hopped out her bed, deciding it wouldn't hurt anyone if she got ready a little earlier today as she lazily made her way to the hallway restroom.

Not wanting to battle the cold, she instantly jumped into the shower, turning on the hottest temperature of water there was.

She shivered slightly letting out a low shriek at the sudden hot temperature hitting every square inch of her body.

"_I almost miss being close to you." "I wish I didn't have to depend on you so much back then, but I wish even more so that I didn't have to need you now." _Sasuke's stoic, emotionless voice continued to ring in Fuyu's mind.

_I love you too Sasuke. _She said mentally, having a sad smile grace her features.

:-:-:

Fuyu took one last look at her beside clock before finally exiting her room. _6:45. 15 minutes to go. _She thought to herself enthusiastically.

"Off to the academy?" a kind voice asked from beside her.

She looked over to her right, spotting her father, who didn't look a day older than 35. Or at least, that's what Fuyu and her mother would tell him.

Fuyu smiled brightly. "Yes. I'm actually going to be assigned to a sensei today."

"Who do you think you'll get? Someone serious?" Yukito asked curiously.

Fuyu shrugged her shoulder slightly. "I hope they're not too serious. Then again, I hope they're not too carefree." she responded thoughtfully.

Yukito walked closer to his tougher and planted a light kiss onto her forehead. "You truly have matured, Fuyu." he whispered lovingly. "Whoever you get, I have no doubt you'll amaze them."

Fuyu gave her father a loving hug, burrowing her head into his chest. "Thank you." she finally replied, having it come out muffled.

Yukito gently wrapped an arm around his small daughter, not waiting to let go and have her experience the trials of being a shinobi. "Fuyu." he whispered. "Please be careful." he requested almost pleadingly.

Slowly pulling away from her father's embrace, her golden brown eyes looked up at his forest green ones. "I promise I'll be alright papa." she replied happily.

A sad smile formed on his face before he place another light kiss onto her forehead. "I'll be looking forward to the time when they ask you to be hokage." he joked, laughing lightly.

Fuyu chuckled happily. "You better be." she replied, pulling away fully from their hug. "I'll be home as soon as you know it." she promised while walking out the entrance of the Saatchi's main house.

Fuyu looked up at the cloudy dusk sky, taking in the crisp air the came with autumn. A bright smile grew on her face. _First step to the rest of my life. _She thought to herself, as she increased her pace towards the academy she grew in.

_I just hope it won't be full of as much grief the elders describe it to be._

:-:-:

Sasuke let out a silent sigh while gazing out the same window he always stares though, ignoring the light ambiance that occurred around him.

He looked over to the clock slyly, rechecking the time for the 100th time since he arrive in the classroom over an hour ago.

_6:57. _He read mentally, bringing his gaze back to the window.

"Fuyu!" a high pitched voice called from outside the door.

"Oh. Good morning Saukra." Fuyu replied quietly.

Sasuke smirked quietly. _Fuyu and Saukra huh? _

"I wanted to ask you something." Saukra began while sliding the classroom door open "How did you get so close to Sasuke?" she asked, not noticing that said person was sitting in that very classroom.

From the corner of his eye, Sasuke looked back at the girls, waiting to see what Fuyu's response will be.

At a loss for words, Fuyu simply shrugged her shoulders in response to Saukra. "I'm not exactly sure. Why?"

Sakura got closer to Fuyu so as to whisper something in her ear. "I just want to be able to win him over before Ino can." she confessed quietly.

Fuyu chuckled nervously. "Shouldn't you two be worrying about something else other than boys-?"

"You sound just like my parents." Saukra whined. "You're probably trying to win him over too."

Fuyu rose her hands in an innocent fashion. "That's not it I promise! It's just, the question was a little out of my authority to answer."

"It's not like Sasuke'll know-"

"Sakura." Sasuke called while approaching them silently, gaining their attention by surprise.

Sakura blushed lightly. "Hi Sasuke." she greeted quietly.

"That question you have, why did you ask it?" Sasuke questioned, ignoring her greeting.

Sakura looked down at her feet bashfully. "I didn't know you heard it but, I just want to be able to know you better."

"It doesn't concern you." Sasuke replied coldly.

Fuyu looked up at Sasuke with questioning eyes.

"Fuyu and I's friendship doesn't concern you now, nor will it ever. There also isn't a way for you to get close to me like you desire." he paused "We've known each other since childhood."

Sakura grew silent as his explanation.

Fuyu cocked her head slightly to the right in curiosity. _I never thought he'd admit that to a living soul. _She thought to herself happily.

"I'm sorry then, Sasuke, Fuyu." Sakura said quietly before walking off to her seat.

Fuyu stood there, still looking at Sasuke questionably.

Finally after a few moments, Sasuke shot his glare to Fuyu. "Are you going to say something or not?" he asked coldly.

A light smile formed on Fuyu's face. "Nope." she replied simply "I don't think there's anything to say Sasuke."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly, wanting her to explain herself.

"Thank you for saying that." she finally said, allowing her smile to grow even more.

As he stood there, taking in her smile Sasuke felt a wave of warmth and calmness come over him, causing his constant guard to go down.

Fuyu stepped closer to him and nudged him softly in his elbow. "Don't space out like that Sasuke. It worries me." she joked while walking past him to her seat.

Sasuke closed his eyes tightly, trying to remember the last time it was where he felt that calm. That relaxed. That safe.

"Class." Iruka called quietly from his desk in front of the classroom. "Everyone take their seats please."

Doing as he was told, Sasuke slowly walked back to his seat near the window, avoiding all the greetings he received from various people.

"Today's the day you all become Genin. It's also the day where you'll be assigned to your Jonin sensei who you will train under until you become Chunin." he explained while picking up a small stack of papers that previously sat on his wooden desk.

"Now for the teams." he began happily "Team 7 will be made up of: Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha. Got it?"

"Waaaa! I have to be with Sasuke?" Naruto whined while Sakura pumped a fist in the air.

_Now I have even more time to be with Sasuke. _she thought to herself triumphantly, looking over at him.

Sasuke shifted in his chair slightly, as his new teammates slowly sank in. "Just don't get in my way, loser." he warned to Naruto.

"Who do you think you're calling a loser, bastard!" Naruto retorted.

_That's an interesting group. _Fuyu thought to herself, failing to hold back a smile. _He should have a lot of fun. _

"That's enough!" Iruka commanded "Team 10 will be made up of: Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akamichi."

"Looks like we're going to be paired up anyways, huh?" Shikamaru teased.

Ino groaned loudly. _Why me? _She whined mentally.

"And lastly, Team 13 will be made up of: Fuyu Saatchi, Ritsu Saruwatari and Soma Niou." he finally announced.

"Yo~!" Ritsu exclaimed. "Soma, Fuyu we're going to be the best team out there!" he promised, looking back at his new teammates.

Soma gave a calm nod while Fuyu smiled brightly.

"Eh! Everyone already knows Team 7 will." Naruto countered.

Ritsu scoffed. "You have Mrs. Pinky, Mr. I'm-so-cool, and you, Mr. Hokage on that team. How on earth will you be the best team?" he responded cockily.

Fuyu winced slightly at the description given to Sasuke, knowing all too well the reasons why he acts the way he does.

"You'll see." Naruto responded smugly.

Iruka sighed loudly. "You will each meet your sensei here after lunch. Be on time." he said "You're all dismissed."

Slowly student after student left to enjoy their lunch, get to know their teams a little better, and contemplate the future as much as their 12 year old minds could handle.

"I bet it's going to be so much fun! Being shinobi!" a girl exclaimed to her friend ahead of Sasuke.

"I know. I can't wait to go on missions." her friend responded.

_Being a shinobi isn't fun. It's something to be taken seriously. It means life or death. _Sasuke thought to himself, shooting death glares to the backs of the girls heads. _People die being shinobi. Death isn't a fun subject. _

"Sasuke!" Sakura called from behind him with Naruto trailing behind her. "Let's all eat lunch together." she suggested once they both finally caught up to him.

Sasuke remained silent, neither refusing or accepting their offer.

"We should all eat together." a voice suggested from behind the trio. "I don't think it'd hurt anyone to be friends with other teams?" Soma added happily.

Sakura smiled lightly. "That sounds like a good idea, doesn't it? Naruto, Sasuke?"

Naruto looked scoldingly at Ritsu who was doing everything in his power to avoid his glare, while Sasuke simply continued his calm stride to his lunch spot.

"Since their not agreeing or disagreeing, let's go with it." Fuyu finally said.

"Great idea!" Sakura responded happily.

Naruto groaned mentally.

Ritsu scoffed quietly.

Soma simply nodded his head, having a light smile form on his face. A rare occasion.

"Just as long as none of you get in my way." Sasuke warned again.

"Just make sure **you **don't get in my way, Sasuke!" Naruto retorted.

"What he said!" Ritsu exclaimed.

"Don't worry Sasuke. We'll make sure to be more of a benefit than a hindrance to you." Fuyu said kindly as they finally reached the courtyard of the academy, which was gently littered with various red shades of Japanese maple leaves.

A light smile formed on his face, but disappeared before anyone else could see it. _Everything you say I have the utmost trust in, Fuyu._

* * *

><p><em>Thank you so much for reading! Every read that my story gets means a lot to me. :)<em>  
><em>Please leave a reviewcomment about what you think about this chapter, and what I can/should work on. I'd really appreciate it!_

_-EZ_


	5. Aki 04

_**Aki 04.**_

After what seemed to be hours, but in reality was only a few minutes, the group of 6 finally agreed on the perfect lunch spot. Much to Naruto and Ritsu's dislike.

Right under a large oak tree, perfectly shaded from the luke-warm rays of the autumn sun. The ants seem to think so too.

"OH DEAR KAMI! THE ANTS ARE TRYING TO EAT ME ALIVE!" Ritsu exclaimed, jumping up from his seat for the 100th time.

Soma sighed quietly. "There isn't even that many of them Ritsu. Just calm down."

"HE'S RIGHT! EITHER THEY'RE TRYING TO EAT ME, OR THEY WANT MY RAMEN!" Naruto yelled, jumping up from his seat holding onto his ramen cup for dear life.

Fuyu laughed lightly at her friend's plight. "They must be after you two." she giggled.

Naruto and Ritsu pouted slightly simultaneously.

"Will you two idiots just sit down. They don't even bite." Sasuke growled.

"Shut up Sasuke!" Naruto whined.

"Take a step in our shoes for a while, then you'll understand what we're going through!" Ritsu added.

"We're all sitting in the same place." Sakura reasoned quietly as she gently blew on a cluster of rice. _If this is what they act like with just a few ants around, how on earth are they going to act on actual missions? _She asked herself worriedly.

"Here," Fuyu began, raising from her seat. "We'll trade seats, there aren't as many ants over here."

Ritsu and Naruto eagerly sprinted from their previous location over to Fuyu's seat, sitting down happily with their lunches in hand.

Fuyu happily took Ritsu's previous seat, unaware of Sasuke's onyx eyes following each step she took.

_You've got to stop being so kind Fuyu. _Sasuke thought to himself as he took another cluster of food towards his mouth.

"What do you think our Sensei's will be like?" Soma asked curiously.

"Our sensei is going to be 10x better than yours. That's for sure." Naruto said cockily as he chowed down on his ramen.

Ritsu scoffed loudly. "You wish."

"What was that Rit-!"

"Either way, they'll both be amazing I bet." Fuyu answered, interrupting Naruto's retort.

Sakura squealed loudly. "Maybe they'll be girls."

"No way!" Ritsu objected. "They're definitely going to be guys. Everyone knows that."

"That's not true." Sasuke objected. "There are numerous powerful shinobi who are women."

"I'm not saying that girls can't be strong. Just our sensei's have to be men."

Sakura and Fuyu glanced at each other with a scolding look on their face.

_Ritsu would be the one to say that. _The both thought to themselves, turning back to their lunches.

"I guess we'll just have to wait to find out then." Soma sighed, shrugging his shoulders lightly.

_Just as long as they help me reach my goal. I don't have time to deal with setbacks. _Sasuke thought to himself, tightening his grip on the chopsticks in his hand slightly.

Fuyu noticed that he tensed slightly. _Sasuke…_She thought to herself sadly. _I promise you'll reach your goal. Just please be patient._

:-:-:

"Where are they!" Naruto asked looking out the windows that paneled the right side of the classroom. "Every other team has been picked up by their sensei, except for us! Even Iruka Sensei left!"

"Maybe their a little busy Naruto." Fuyu suggested quietly. "Just wait a little longer."

"What kind of Jonin are they?" Ritsu sighed, half asleep.

"I don't know, but I'm going to teach them a lesson." Naruto answered, creeping over to the black chalkboard, reaching for an eraser.

"What are you doing Naruto?" Sakura growled as she watched him conveniently place the eraser between the door and frame tightly. _Ha, they definitely deserve this! They should know better than to be late. _Sakura thought to herself happily.

"They're not going to fall for that Naruto. They're Jonin." Sasuke said confidently. "I'm pretty sure they already know what you're doing from a mile away."

"We'll see Sasuke!" Naruto retorted sprinting away from the door.

"Either way, it'll be hilarious!" Ritsu commented happily.

"Don't you guys think about the consequences will be? If they do end up falling for that, don't you think they'd be annoying?" Soma said thoughtfully, disagreeing with the whole plan.

"Soma's right." Fuyu agreed "Should we really be doing this, especially for a first impression?"

"You two worry too much! Just enjoy the fun we poke at them." Ritsu said, waving his hand lazily.

As soon as the last letter rolled off Ritsu's tongue, the classroom door slowly slid open causing the eraser to collide with a silver headed man.

He stood there for a few moments, simply staring at the eraser that helplessly laid on the ground.

_Ha! That's what he gets! _Sakura thought to herself.

"Hahaha! You fell for it!" Naruto laughed, pointing at the man happily.

"Oh geez. And you call yourself a Jonin?" Ritsu added, clutching his stomach tightly from his laughter.

_Seriously. No one should've fell for that, much less a Jonin. _Sasuke thought to himself, disappointed.

"I'm really sorry sensei. We tried to stop naruto, but he wouldn't listen." Sakura apologized quietly.

The silver headed man, slowly picked the eraser up and placed it back on to the black board before moving out the doorway to allow a brown haired man in, who was slightly taller than him.

They both sighed loudly.

"Hmm. How do I put this… well, my first impression of you guys…I hate you." the silver headed man expressed, causing the group of six genin to pout slightly.

The brown haired man laughed loudly. "Ah, Kakashi. Cut them some slack, they're only Genin after all."

_I hope we don't get that guy. _Ritsu thought to himself, looking up at Kakashi worriedly.

He sighed once more. "Which of you are Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto?" he asked quietly.

"I'm Sasuke." he answered in his uninterested tone.

"I'm Sakura." she answered happily.

"And I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto said happily.

"Great. I'm Kakashi Hatake, I'm you're new sensei." he sighed "Let's try and get along, alright?"

"Alright! Now that they're out the way, I'm guessing you three are Soma, Ritsu and Fuyu? Right?"

"Hai!" the three responded happily.

"Great, I'm Nagare Shin. I'll be your sensei from now on."

"Oi, Nagare Sensei." Ritsu called, gaining his attention. "Why were you two so late?"

Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck while laughing nervously "I got lost on the road to life."

_Bull. _The six Genin thought to themselves, sweat dropping mentally.

"Whatever." Ritsu mumbled "What about you? Sensei?"

"I actually had to talk to the hokage about something, unlike Kakashi. I'll always have a valid reason why I'm late, if I ever am."

"I'm going to hold you to that." Soma promised quietly. "If you're ever late, we'll expect the worse."

"Deal." Nagare responded. "well Kakashi. Since they've already introduced themselves, let's go ahead and do the links, dislikes, dream and ambition thing and get it over with."

Kakashi nodded his head slightly in agreement. "I already know your names, so all 6 of you tell us one thing you like, one thing you dislike, one dream, and your hobbies." he explained, leaning against a desk.

All six of them looked between each other, waiting to see who would be brave enough to go first.

After a few moments of mentally debating, Nagare Sensei decided to go first. _Since all of you are still acting like a bunch of 5 year olds in the academy. _

"Like I said before, My name is Nagare Shin." he began "What I like that one moment in a mission where it's all life or death, and you have to make that decision, either ending you and your teams life, or saving it."

Ritsu scoffed quietly. _What is this guy nuts? Who would like a moment like that?_

"What I dislike…the moment where you make the wrong decision. My dreams for the future, hmm I guess getting married, and having a few kids. 2 boys and a girl to be exact. Then as for hobbies, that would have to be training with people. Including students." he concluded with a light smile.

"So, since you like training, does that mean we'll be doing a lot of that?" Ritsu asked happily.

"You bet!" he answered. "We have to be better than them." he whispered, pointing to Kakashi's team sneakily.

A mischievous smile formed on Ritsu's face. "I like him already!" he said to Soma and Fuyu.

Nagare laughed lightly before standing back up straight. "Who's next? What about you?" he asked, pointing to Fuyu.

A light blush formed on her face as she debated his offer. "Alright." she agreed quietly, smiling shyly.

_It's only when you have everyone attention that you become this flustered Fuyu. _Sasuke thought to himself, smiling slightly.

"My name's Fuyu Saatchi, what I like is the winter time but only because that's the time my jutsu's are most powerful. What I dislike…I hate letting people down." she paused "My dreams are to do everything I can to make everyone proud of me, that would be the ultimate happiness. Then my hobbies are walking along the river bank, especially during the transition from autumn to winter."

_I guess that would make sense, since you use ice release. _Nagare thought to himself, smiling brightly. _I can't wait to see what your abilities are, Fuyu. _

"Saatchi clan huh?" Kakashi asked "I bet you're happy winter is coming in two weeks then."

Fuyu nodded her head lightly. "Although, I don't exactly favor the cold. Just the thought of winter interests me."

Nagare chuckled lightly. "That's a little redundant, isn't it Fuyu?"

She shrugged her shoulders light, causing her light brown hair to cascade down to her back. "I'm not sure how to explain it correctly. You'll just have to take my word for it." she replied, smiling with a smile that was contagious.

_The charm of the Saatchi clan. I can see why. _Kakashi thought to himself.

"Alright, I guess I'll go next." Kakashi sighed. "My name is Kakashi Hatake. What I like…I don't feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future…hmmm…never really thought about that…as for my hobbies…well, I have a lot of hobbies."

_That doesn't tell us anything about you then! _Naruto and Sakura thought to themselves simultaneously.

"Alright, who's next?"

"Me!" Naruto and Ritsu exclaimed at the same time.

"He's my sensei Ritsu." Naruto reasoned.

"And? It's my sensei who started it."

"That doesn't make a difference!"

"It makes a world a difference Naruto!" Ritsu growled.

"How about you, Sasuke?" Kakashi suggested, ignoring the small argument happening before his eyes.

Sasuke sighed slightly, sitting up straighter, if at all possible.

He took in a deep breath, preparing to speak, building up everyone's curiosity.

_What's so great about him? He's just like every other guy. _Naruto thought to himself angrily.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. There are many things I dislike, and not much I do like. And I have an ambition that I have no plan to leave as a dream. The restoration of my clan, and to…kill a certain man." he answered simply.

_I knew it. _Nagare and Kakashi both thought to themselves.

Fuyu winced slightly as his last words, knowing all too well who he could possibly be talking about.

"Alright, thank you Sasuke! You're up, Soma." Nagare instructed, trying to delude the negativity in the air.

"I'm Soma Niou. What I like is surprising people in any way possible. What I dislike…I'm not sure yet. My dream…is to make my brother Setsuke, proud. Then my hobbies are learning about past shinobi." he answer quietly.

Nagare nodded lightly. "Soma." he began softly "You're brother passes away two years ago, correct?"

Soma looked up at his sensei quietly. "Right…" he answered quietly.

Fuyu lightly clutched her heart through her shirt. Oh Soma, _I never knew. _She thought to herself sadly.

A sad smile grew across Nagare's lips. "I'll be sure to do everything I can to ensure that you're brother will be proud of you. Alright?"

Soma nodded his head lightly. "Thank you, Nagare sensei." he said sincerely, bowing slightly.

"And I'll be sure to help too!" Fuyu added happily, driven with a new motive.

Soma looked over at her surprised before a smile graced his features. "Thank you, Fuyu."

"Naruto." Kakashi said "your turn."

"Right!" he said, fixing his headband that sat on his forehead. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki! What I like is ramen, especially the kind at the Ichiraku Ramen shop. What I dislike is the three minute wait after you pour the boiling water. My hobbies are eating ramen. And my dream…is to be the next hokage!"

Ritsu snorted. "I'm surprised your dream isn't to eat all the ramen in the world."

Naruto curled his fists at Ritsu. "Watch what you're saying Ritsu!"

"Alright alright. Be nice to each other." Nagare advised. "But that's a pretty big dream Naruto. It'll be a lot of work to help you towards that."

_There's no point in helping him, he's too much an idiot. _Sasuke thought to himself.

"But it'll be done." Nagare added.

"Promise?" Naruto asked, slightly surprised.

"Promise! You're just a much apart of my team as you are Kakashi's."

"Thanks Nagare sensei!" Naruto replied happily.

"Yeah yeah yeah. My turn!" Ritsu interrupted. "My name is Ritsu Saruwatari. What I like is impressing people. What I dislike is when others show me up. Then my dream is to become stronger than my father. And my hobbies are looking after my grandparents."

Nagare and Kakashi laughed lightly.

"I'm glad you enjoy looking after your grandparents, Ritsu." Nagare expressed between laughs. "Think you can channel that enjoyment to your team?"

Ritsu looked over at Soma and Fuyu who were both looking at him intently. "Hell yeah I can!" he answered, throwing up a thumbs up.

"Great. Now, Sakura. It's finally your turn."

Sakura nodded her head happily. "My name is Sakura Haruno. The thing or, person I like is…well…and my dream for the future is…um…and my hobby is…heh. What I dislike is…Naruto of course!" she answered, going through a number of mood changes.

Everyone but Sasuke looked over at her confused.

"Riiight. Well it's a pleasure to meet all of you."

"From now on, we'll most likely be going on the majority of our missions together as one large team." Nagare explained "That just means more friends. Which is a great thing!"

_Friends. _Sasuke mused to himself. _I guess…it wouldn't be too bad then. _

"We have our first exercise tomorrow, 5:00 am. If you're late you automatically fail." Kakashi explained as he made his way over to the classroom doors "Oh, don't eat breakfast either."

_Don't eat breakfast? _Everyone asked themselves mentally.

Nagare sighed loudly. "We'll meet tomorrow. See you all then." he bided as he closed the sliding door that led into the classroom, leaving the 6 Genin alone.

"well, that was fun." Ritsu said.

Fuyu laughed lightly. "Their both interesting."

"You mean lazy! Kakashi sensei was 40 minutes late for no reason!" Naruto exclaimed.

"I'm sure he had a reason also Naruto." Sasuke answered as he walked down from the rows of seats.

"I wonder what the exercise is going to be like." Soma thought.

Everyone shrugged their shoulders lightly.

"It must be serious since they told us not to eat breakfast." Sakura answered quietly.

"We won't know till tomorrow! But let's all do our best. Alright?" Naruto said.

Everyone simply nodded their head in agreement.

_This better not hold me back though. _Sasuke thought to himself as he silently looked down at his feet.

Fuyu looked over at Sasuke. _I already promised that we won't be hindrances to you Sasuke, you of all people know that I never go back on my promises._

:-:-:_  
><em>

**Neither of them would expect that this would be the first step together down a long long road full of heartbreak, broken promises, wishes, and hope.**

* * *

><p><em>Thank you so much for reading! Every read that my story gets means a lot to me. :)<em>  
><em>Please leave a reviewcomment about what you think about this chapter, and what I can/should work on. I'd really appreciate it!_

_-EZ_


	6. Aki 05

_**Aki 05.**_

At exactly 5 am, the group of freshly made Genin clustered together, each coming from a different direction.

The orange morning sun was barely poking up over the horizon, easily winning it's battle with the previously dominant nightfall.

Naruto yawned loudly, stretching his arms up to the sky.

"Where are they?" Ritsu asked groggily as he rubbed the sleepies out his eyes.

"They said to be here by 5," Sakura began, yawning lightly "If anything they should've been here by now."

"Maybe they're just busy?" Fuyu suggested quietly.

"At 5 in the morning?" Naruto asked, wavering in his battle to stay awake.

"Why don't we all just be patient?" Sasuke suggested, looking off in the direction he came from. "I'm sure they'll be here soon."

:-:-:

"6:25." Soma read once he looked down at his watch for the 100th time.

Naruto sighed angrily. "They made this huge deal about us not being here on time, then _they _don't show up on time! On top of that, I didn't have breakfast." he whined, clutching his stomach tightly.

Much to their dislike, everyone else followed suit, remembering they didn't have the blessing of eating breakfast this morning either.

_This is wasting my time. _Sasuke thought to himself as he clenched his fists together firmly.

"Gooood morning." a familiar voice greeted from behind the group of six.

In a matter of seconds, they all turned around with a scolding look on their face, ready to let their sensei have an ear full of it.

Golden rays reflected off of brown hair, with forest green eyes gazing down at the Genin with a more than noticeable smirk.

"You're late!" Sakura, Naruto and Ritsu exclaimed, pointing at Nagare sensei with an accusing finger.

He rose his hands up innocently. "I had a few things to take care of. But I'm not the one you all should be worried about, Kakashi probably won't be here till noon." he replied smugly.

"NOON?" all six repeated.

_Tsk. How was I grouped with such an idiot of a sensei? _"Then why did he tell us to be here by 5?" Sasuke asked, slightly irritated.

"A shinobi must follow instructions, whether or not the commander does the same. All in all, that was your first test. And you all passed!"

"So, sensei." Fuyu began, gaining Nagare's attention "does that mean we have to wait till noon to begin the exercise?"

"Yeah! I don't want to wait for that dead weight of a sensei! We should just begin now!" Ritsu added.

Nagare chuckled lightly. "Too bad, we're going to have to. It wouldn't be fair to have all 6 of you come at me."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked from behind Naruto and Sasuke. "Why would we be coming at you?"

Nagare shrugged his shoulders. "I've already said to much. If I said anymore I'd have to…kill you." he answered seriously.

Their eyes widened slightly at their Sensei's claim.

"Not to worry though!" Nagare began, laughing lightly. "I won't tell you. Therefore I don't have to kill you." he finished, looking off in a random direction.

Ritsu groaned loudly. "Forget this then, I'm going to sleep!"

"Same here, it's too early in the morning to be dealing with this." Naruto agreed, taking a seat on his pack.

"Probably a good idea. You'll need the energy." Nagare responded quietly.

Soma sighed almost silently. "This is turning out to be a true pain isn't it."

Fuyu smiled lightly. "I'm guessing there'll be a lot of those along the way Soma."

"What do you think the exercise will be?" Sakura asked out of the blue.

Soma and Fuyu shrugged their shoulders in response.

"Kakashi said it would be a test of survival. So I'm thinking it'll be a challenge." Sasuke answered confidently. "Not that I have a problem with that."

"I don't think anything would be a problem for you, Sasuke." Sakura responded bashfully.

Fuyu pouted slightly, jealousy slowly building up in her otherwise kind heart.

Sasuke simply ignored Saukra, and remained on high alert for Kakashi. _He shouldn't be too far away since Nagare is already here. _He reasoned to himself.

:-:-:

6:25 slowly changed to 6:40, which then changed to 7:30, then to 9:10, then slowly again to 11:40, leaving the Genin both restless and upset.

"12:29." Soma read aloud as he stared up at the sky. "Nagare Sensei, is Kakashi sensei always this late?"

Nagare chuckled nervously. "I guess you could say that. It wouldn't hurt to get used to it."

Sasuke sighed angrily. "This is ridiculous-"

"Good Afternoon!" a chirpy voice greeted "I'm sorry for being so late."

Naruto immediately perked up, "Screw that! You're over 7 hours late Kakashi sensei!"

"I got lost on the road of life." he claimed, raising his hands up lazily "Anyways, let's go ahead and begin the exercise shall we?"

Everyone groggily followed Kakashi and Nagare sensei to a clearing in the surrounding forest.

Fuyu looked around her, taking in everything she could, wanting to be as familiar of her surroundings as possible. _6 wooden posts lined up in a row, a timer set on one of them, and 4 lunches on the ground near another. _

She absentmindedly cocked her head slightly to the right in confusion. _Only 4 lunches? _

"Fuyu." Nagare called, gaining her attention almost instantly. "What are you trying to figure out?" he asked, already knowing the answer. _Nothing get's past you, does it?_

She looked back over to the lunches before looking back at her sensei. "There's only 4 lunches, but there's six of us." she responded, still confused.

"Exactly." Kakashi said "That's the exercise."

"Figure out why there's only 4 lunches?" Ritsu scoffed.

"No…Try to take these away from either of us," he paused, pulling out 4 bells "the two who aren't able to take one from us, will watch the other 4 eat their lunches happily." he added, handing Nagare 2 of the bells.

_So that's why they didn't want us to eat breakfast…_The 6 Genin thought to themselves sadly.

"You have a time limit of 30 minutes. Whoever doesn't get a bell automatically fails and goes back to the academy as students once again." Nagare further explained

Everyone's eyes slightly widened.

_I don't have time to go back to the academy. _Sasuke thought to himself panicked. _I have to get a bell, no matter what._

_If I get sent back to the academy…I'll be separated from Sasuke! _Sakura yelled mentally. _That can't happen!_

_Pssh, this'll be a piece of cake. _Ritsu thought to himself, crossing his arms across his chest confidently.

Fuyu clenched her right fist tightly. _"Just as long as you try your best Fuyu, I'll always be proud of you." I swear I'll make you proud mama. _

"_Whatever challenge you get Soma, take it head on!" _ A light smile formed on Soma's lips as his brother's words rang through his mind, giving him extra motivation towards the excerise.

"The academy?" Naruto yelled "You have any idea how long it took me to pass the Genin exam? Why would we have to go back to the academy if we just went through all that trouble."

Kakashi looked over at Nagare, who gave him an indifferent look.

_I'm not going to tell him Kakashi. He is your student after all. _

"Well. How do I put this?" Kakashi began, putting a hand behind his neck "You're not exactly Genin yet. I decide if you become Genin or not. But don't worry Naruto, even someone like you will get this exam." _Hopefully._

Naruto pouted sadly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Alright, since everyone understands the rules, let's begin! Remember, this **is** a contest. You may just have to go against your teammate. You'll also have to come at us with the intention to kill, otherwise there's no way you'll get these bells."

Each Genin nodded their head confidently, waiting for the final word for them to begin.

_I hope it won't come down to go against anyone though. _Fuyu thought to herself. _Especially Sasuke. _

Nagare rose his hand above the timer. "Everyone ready?" he asked, looking at each of the Genin in their eyes. "…Begin!" he yelled, hitting the timer simultaneously.

Almost instantly, each of the 6 scattered into different directions.

Nagare and Kakashi looked around them, looking for any sign of the Genin.

"Shinobi must know how to conceal their presence." Kakashi began, still looking around him. "Looks like you each understand that much."

Nagare chuckled in agreement, before looking over to his right only to spot: "Naruto?" he asked confused "When I said begin…you were supposed to hide. Or at least try to…"

"Both of you! Against me, right here, fair and square!" he challenged cockily.

_Tsk. _Sasuke thought to himself.

_Oh, what an idiot! There's no way he can take them on by himself. _Sakura thought to herself.

"What is he doing?" Fuyu whispered to herself, crouching under shrubbery quietly.

"Naruto? Just being an idiot as usual." Soma answered beside her.

"Soma!" she yelled/whispered "How did you know I was here?"

He shrugged his shoulders looking back out at Naruto, Kakashi and Nagare. "You didn't really hide all that well."

_And here I was, thinking that I did. _Fuyu thought to herself sadly.

"I think it would be best if we worked together." he suggested quietly, a light blush creeping over his face.

"But Sensei said-"

"I know what he said. But it would make a lot more sense to do this as a team, one Genin against two Jonin isn't exactly logical."

Fuyu thought about what he just said for a moment. "That makes sense." she whispered, looking back at her two sensei's, Naruto and: "Ritsu is out there too?"

"I couldn't let you hog all the spot light Naruto!" he yelled to the blond "Let's see who can get a bell first!" he suggested, charging at Nagare.

"You're on!" Naruto responded, charging at Kakashi.

_Those two are definitely going to be the ones not to get lunch. _Everyone thought to themselves.

"There's Sasuke." Soma whispered, pointing at a dark figure in a tree not too far off. "I was going to ask him first, but I had a feeling he wouldn't agree to it. He really isn't an approachable person."

Fuyu looked over at Soma. "He has his reasons, Soma. You would act exactly like that if you knew what his circumstances were."

"I'm sorry." Soma whispered sincerely "Let's go over there and ask him anyways." he added, getting up from his crouching position before sprinting under the protection of the dense forestation with Fuyu shortly following suit.

_Everyone knows what his circumstances are, Fuyu. _Soma thought to himself. _It doesn't give him the right to treat everyone else like he does though. _

Fuyu looked over to where Sasuke was hiding, almost immediately locking onto the gaze of onyx eyes.

_What are you two planning on doing, Fuyu? _Sasuke asked himself, carefully watching their every move. _I hope you don't plan on going against me? _He added, slightly hurt.

He tightened his grip on a kunai he was holding, increasing his guard by ten fold. _if that's what you're planning on doing, don't expect it to be easy, or even possible. _

_I would think you'd be the last person to ever go against me, especially after all we've already been through together. _

Fuyu looked back ahead of her at the backside of Soma, both using their training to stealthily approach Sasuke. _Working as a team is the only choice we have other than going against each other. We both know, that's not a choice for either one of us with out a valid reason._

:-:-:

_First sparing session. A young Fuyu thought to herself happily. I'm so excited._

_"Aren't you excited Sasuke?" she asked her friend beside her._

_Sasuke quietly looked over at his closest friend before smiling lightly. "I am, Fuyu."_

_Fuyu simply responded with a bright smile, before bringing her attention back to her sensei._

_"Alright class, I'm sure all of you are ready for your first sparing session." Iruka began, looking down at the round faces of his students. "Who'll like to go first?"_

_Naruto eagerly rose his hand, waving it frantically as if Iruka couldn't see him._

_"Sasuke." Iruka chose "You and…"_

_"Me! Me! Sensei!" Naruto called frantically. I want to be the one to go against Sasuke. I want to prove to people that I'm just as strong-_

_"Fuyu!" he finally decided._

_Fuyu's golden brown eyes looked up at Iruka worriedly. "Maybe Naruto should go." she suggested quietly, before looking over at Sasuke. I don't want to go against you Sasuke._

_"It's all right Fuyu, everyone else will be with another sensei. It's just going to be you, me and Sasuke." Iruka reassured, smiling lightly._

_She sadly looked down at the dry ground below her, nodding her head sadly._

_"Alright! The rest of you go with Mizuki Sensei for the time being."_

_"Fuyu!" Ino called, surrounded by a group of girls her same age "If you hurt Sasuke in any way, you'll have to deal with us!" she warned, before being shooed to the other sensei._

_Finally after the last student filed out towards Mizuki Sensei, Fuyu hurried over to Iruka._

_"Iruka Sensei." she called gaining his attention._

_He happily crouched to her level, having previously towered over her. "What is it, Fuyu?"_

_"Please don't make me go against Sasuke." she requested quietly._

_Iruka smiled sadly. "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise-"_

_"That's not what I'm worried about. I just don't want to go against him." she explained, looking down at her hands. "He's…my best friend."_

_Iruka looked back at Sasuke over his shoulder, who was eagerly trying to decipher the words that were coming out of Fuyu's mouth. I guess what her parents said was right after all. he thought to himself, looking back over at Fuyu._

_"Now Fuyu, there will be many times where you'll be faced with a situation like this once you become a shinobi. It's better to practice dealing with it now-"_

_"I don't want to deal with it now!" she interrupted "If that time ever comes, then I'll deal with it then. I refuse to fight Sasuke. And you can't make me." she added firmly, looking Iruka straight in the eyes._

_"Fuyu…" Iruka breathed out, surprised at the sudden stance she took. "Why not?"_

_""Unless you're saving your friend, there shouldn't be any reasons to why you should fight with them." that's what my papa once told me, and that's why I won't fight Sasuke. I'm more than willing to go against someone else…just not Sasuke."_

_Iruka sighed quietly. "Alright Fuyu." he finally said. "but I'm going to have to talk to your parents about this."_

_Fuyu smiled sadly, before bowing respectfully. "Thank you, Iruka sensei." she said sincerely before heading off towards Mizuki Sensei and the rest of the class._

_Before she passed him though, she went over to Sasuke and gave him a light hug. "Good luck on your first spar Sasuke." she bided before hurrying off._

_Sasuke smiled lightly. I guess we won't be going against each other Fuyu…ever._

* * *

><p><em>Thank you so much for reading! Every read that my story gets means a lot to me. :)<em>  
><em>Please leave a reviewcomment about what you think about this chapter, and what I can/should work on. I'd really appreciate it!_

_-EZ_


	7. Aki 06

_**Aki 06**_

_***Sasuke is definitely out of character for the first half of this chapter. I'm sorry, I had no ideas on how to fix it, hopefully the second half of the chapter makes up for it~**_

Soma and Fuyu rushed over to Sasuke till they finally reached their destination behind him.

Soma looked over at Fuyu and gave her the sign to be as quiet as possible before creeping branch to branch closer to Sasuke.

Just before he was about to poke his shoulder, Sasuke disappeared from in front of Soma only to reappear behind Fuyu, holding up a kunai not too far off from her neck.

"What, you guys thought it would be that easy to get me?" Sasuke growled.

Fuyu completely froze, only being able to look at the kunai threatening her life, and back at Soma's relaxed expression. Kunai. Soma. Kunai. Soma.

"Soma." she mouth, not being able to find her voice. "Sasuke." she gasped out, finally reaching her right hand to the arm he had around her chest.

"Let's not get too eager here Sasuke." Soma reasoned.

"Why not?"

"Because we weren't going to try what you were thinking."

"And how am I supposed to know that. This is a contest after all." Sasuke paused looking down at Fuyu. "There's no other reason to believe that you guys wouldn't try to come against me."

"We weren't-"

"You of all people should know that I'd never do that." Fuyu finally said. "It wouldn't make any sense t6 even try…Sasuke."

Sasuke tightened the grip around the kunai handle slightly. "That was so long ago though, Fuyu. How do I know that you haven't changed your mind?"

"Because I haven't changed." she responded almost inaudibly.

Soma maintained his gaze on Sasuke, watching as he went through a mental debate. "Sasuke." he whispered. "Let her go."

Sasuke shot his gaze up to Soma, then back down to Fuyu. "Promise Fuyu." he whispered into her ear "Promise that you haven't changed." he added even quieter.

"I promise." Fuyu complied.

As soon as the last letter rolled off her tongue, Sasuke let her go, dropping the kunai completely.

Instinctively, Fuyu jumped over to the branch Soma was on before fixing her saddened gaze on Sasuke.

Soma looked over at Fuyu, looking her square in the eyes. "Are you alright?" he whispered, resting a hand lightly on her back.

"…yeah." she responded quietly, nodding her head slightly.

"So." Soma began looking back over to Sasuke. "Do you want to hear our offer? Or just attack us again?"

Sasuke huffed loudly. "Go ahead." he responded looking back down at the clearing.

"Work with us." Soma said simply.

"Why should I?" Sasuke growled back.

"Just makes more sense, doesn't it? 1 Genin vs. 2 Jonin compared to 3 Genin vs. 2 Jonin. It'll still be hard, but it won't be as hard if it were just 1 of us."

Sasuke veered his gaze over to Fuyu, who still remained silent. _I'm sorry. _Sasuke thought to himself sincerely. _I should've known. _

"Alright." he finally agreed.

A light smile formed on Soma's face. "We have 10 minutes. C'mere so I can explain it to you both." he ordered, with Sasuke shortly after complying.

:-:-:

"Alright, all of you ready?" Soma asked, briefly looking over his shoulder at his two temporary teammates.

Sasuke and Fuyu nodded their heads lightly in response.

"Sasuke." Fuyu whispered quietly, gaining his attention. "I…What happened…earlier?"

Sasuke maintain his gaze at Soma's backside, waiting for his signal. "I'm not exactly sure." he finally responded. "I just thought you guys took this contest thing seriously."

"If anyone took it seriously, it was you." she responded, anger building up little by little. "What made you think that in first place? What made you think it would be okay to act like that either way?"

"You know I don't have time to be held back, Fuyu." he retorted shooting his gaze to her.

"That doesn't make a difference." she responded, raising her voice slightly. "You shouldn't be biting the hands that are offering help to you Sasuke."

_Don't get into it here you two, just wait till we get the bells. _Soma sighed to himself as he watched Ritsu and Naruto get caught in an obvious trap.

Sasuke's onyx eyes battled with Fuyu golden brown ones. Hurt vs. sad. Friend vs. friend.

After what seemed to be an eternity, Fuyu finally tore her gaze away from Sasuke's. "It's not fair how you punish everyone because of someone else's mistake." she whispered.

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. "What do you mean-"

"Get ready." Soma warned, preparing to through a series of kunai at his two sensei.

_Fuyu. _Sasuke called mentally.

"Now!" Soma whispered/yelled before shooting his series of kunai at Kakashi and Nagare.

Fuyu followed suit, sending her share of kunai and shuriken at the two.

Some missed, others reached their target. Nagare looked up at where the kunai and shuriken came from, clutching his arm.

"Alright, Sasuke, now!" Soma commanded, waiting for Sasuke to unleash his fireball jutsu.

Eyes quivering slightly, Sasuke maintained his gaze on Fuyu.

"Sasuke?" Soma questioned, noticing his state. "Are you alright?"

Fuyu looked back at Sasuke, noticing the small tears that gathered at his tear ducts carefully.

All the anger she previously had immediately melted away, only to be replaced with worry. "Sasuke?" she called quietly.

Soma looked back down at the clearing, noticing that Nagare was no longer down there with Kakashi. _Crap! _He thought to himself as he looked around frantically. _Where is he?_

"Sasuke. Please." Fuyu begged holding onto his pale hand lightly. "At least make a noise."

"I'm sorry." he mouthed silently. "I'm sorry." he repeated.

A sad contagious smile formed on Fuyu's lips. "I forgive you." she whispered.

"Both of you, keep your eyes peeled for Nagare Sensei!" Soma commanded, still concerned with their first problem.

Sasuke lightly shook the tears out his eyes, before looking around him quietly.

Almost immediately, his eyes caught onto a dark figure that moved slightly just a few feet away from him. "He's over there." he whispered, causing Fuyu and Soma to look in the same direction.

A small glint of light reflected off a small bell that dangled freely from his jacket.

"There's the bell." Soma whispered "I say we go for it you guys."

Fuyu looked over at Soma with a worried expression. "Really?"

"Why not?" Sasuke responded, weaving signs to perform: "Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!" he exclaimed just before emitting several fireballs towards Nagare.

Nagare nonchalantly gazed at the series of fireballs as they approached him with great speed. _How talented, just not the right time for them though, Sasuke. _he thought to himself, quickly evading the attack.

"Tsk. I didn't get him." Sasuke whispered, trying to relocate the Jonin.

"I'll try." Soma offered, weaving a few signs as fast as he could "Wind Release: Violent Wind Wall!" Soma summoned, causing a few trees that surrounded them to be cleared out.

After shielding her eyes from the flying debris, Fuyu looked over at Soma, slightly surprised at the power he just emitted. _Who would've know, Soma? _

Nagare barely escaped, holding onto a strong branch of a large oak tree. _These three…they're feisty. _He thought to himself as he waited for the large gust of wind to dissipate.

Once the jutsu finally wore off, Fuyu, Soma and Sasuke looked around them, trying to once again locate their sensei.

"He's right there!" Fuyu announced, pointing towards a figure that rested on a branch ahead of them.

"Alright, let's try this one more time." Sasuke smirked, preparing to weave more signs.

A high pitched ring stopped him mid-sign though, signaling the end of the short 30 minutes they had to complete their exercise.

Sasuke clenched his fists tightly. _I ran out of time. _He thought to himself, still keeping an eye on Nagare's figure.

"You three, go down to the clearing will you?" Nagare requested, jumping closer to the Genin.

Each nodded their head sadly, worried about what the final outcome would be to their not completing their exercise.

The 3 Genin sprinted down to the clearing, meeting up with an unscathed Sakura, and a captured Naruto and Ritsu.

Kakashi and Nagare closed in on their 6 students, lazily looking over each of them.

"That was terrible." Kakashi scolded. "Sakura, you didn't even try. All you could worry about was Sasuke, and not even your own well being. Naruto, Ritsu, you two…whatever you two tried to pull obviously didn't work. You didn't put to use all the advantages you had, for instance, the element of surprise. You both are the ones who almost automatically failed." he paused. "As for you three" he began, looking over at Soma, Fuyu and Sasuke. "You three tried, but let your personal feelings get in the way. As a shinobi you must learn to leave those feelings behind, especially during missions. Failure to do so could result in either your death or those of your teammates."

"All in all, all 6 of you failed, although the three of you attempted to work as a team, you completely disregarded your other 3 teammates. In order to be successful shinobi, you all need to work together." Nagare summed up "But, we're going to give you all another chance after lunch." he added, picking up the pack of 4 lunches that previously rested of the lush green grass.

"Enjoy it, you'll need the energy." Kakashi advised. "But, do not, and I mean **do not **share with Ritsu and Naruto." he ordered as Nagare gave the other four Genin their lunch.

"Ne?" Naruto exclaimed, while Ritsu plopped over in defeat. "How are we supposed to get our energy if we don't eat!"

"You two should've thought about that before you acted without carelessly." Kakashi retorted. "Hurry up, you have 20 minutes to eat." he added before he and Nagare disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The 4 Genin looked down at the lunches they held in their hands before lifting the lid off and eagerly chowing down on their first meal of the day.

Naruto and Ritsu looked down at their 4 teammates with tears building up in their eyes just at the sight of the lunches right in their faces.

Soma looked over at Ritsu who was hungrily eyeballing his lunch. Quickly, he checked his surroundings for any sign of their sensei, before handing him the lunch.

Ritsu's eyes instantly lit up at the sight of food being offered to him. "Are you…are you giving that to me Soma?" he asked, crying tears of joy.

"Just hurry up and eat it." he responded, looking around him frantically.

"But sensei told us not to share with them." Sakura reasoned.

"I don't think they're anywhere near here, just as long as they don't catch us, it'll be fine." Fuyu answered as she walked over to Naruto.

"Fuyu, is that for me!" Naruto asked happily as he watched her hold the lunch in front of him.

She nodded happily. "Can you eat it yourself?"

Naruto looked down at his hands, which were tightly tied up, then back up at Fuyu's golden brown eyes. "Looks like I can't." he responded bashfully."

A light blush formed on Fuyu's face, catching on to what she'll have to do. "ready?" she asked as she prepared a small cluster of rice between her chopsticks.

"You bet!" Naruto responded happily.

Fuyu carefully placed the cluster of rice into his mouth. Repeating the same step over and over.

"Sakura, come feed Ritsu." Soma requested, refusing to do so.

She sighed loudly, but nonetheless complied, walking over to Ritsu and Soma.

After handing her the lunch, Soma looked over at Sasuke. "Let's keep a look out for them." he suggested.

Sasuke nodded slightly, placing his lunch on the ground. "If either of you need anymore, take mine." he explained before looking around him thoroughly.

As soon as Sasuke was about to sit down, deeming the two Sensei no where in sight, a large puff of smoke formed before them slowly revealing Kakashi and Nagare.

"What are you doing?" Nagare asked the 4 Genin, as they froze in their current positions.

Fuyu's hand just about to place another cluster of rice into Naruto's mouth.

Sakura's hand just about to reach for Sasuke's lunch.

Soma looking around a large tree.

And Sasuke sitting, simply looking up at the two angered sensei.

"We ordered you to not share with Naruto or Ritsu." Nagare added. "So why the hell would you?"

The 6 remained silent, waiting for someone to answer.

"Earlier you told us that we need to work together as a team in order to be successful." Fuyu finally spoke up "Our chances of succeeding wouldn't be as high if Naruto and Ritsu didn't have energy."

"That's right!" Ritsu agreed loudly. "You're the ones that told us that we need to work together. How could you be mad at us for following your orders."

"I just didn't want either of them to be hindrances to me." Sasuke reasoned.

"And I agree with Fuyu." Sakura added.

"So what you're saying is that you'd go against a command in order to ensure the safety and wellbeing of your teammate?" Kakashi asked.

The 6 Genin looked amongst themselves before looking back at their sensei, nodding confidently.

"Well, Kakashi. What should we do?" Nagare asked him.

"In this case they all…PASS!" He concluded happily.

At first, the 6 Genin remained silent. Not knowing if what they just heard was correct or not, they maintained their gazes on their two sensei.

Nagare sighed quietly, while pinching the skin between his eyes.

"You guys pass." Kakashi repeated. "You should all be happy."

"I don't get it then." Ritsu began "What you really wanted to teach us was to work as a team?"

Kakashi and Nagare nodded their heads slowly. "You did learn, didn't you?"

"Well duh! I'm starving here!"

Nagare chuckled lightly. "Alright alright. Soma, Sasuke, get Ritsu and Naruto down. We'll go get something to eat."

"So that's it?" Sakura asked, getting up from the ground.

"Yep. Unless you want more to do, Saukra?" Kakashi offered mischievously.

Sakura rose her hands in front of her. "No thank you Sensei!" she responded.

Nagare and Kakashi laughed. "Let's go then." Nagare said as he began walking towards the restaurant district with his 6 students following suit.

_I passed. _Each of the six Genin thought to themselves triumphantly. _I'm finally on my way._

:-:-:

"Bye everyone!" Sakura bided before starting her journey home.

"See you guys!" Ritsu exclaimed before running off.

"Thanks for the food Kakashi Sensei, Nagare Sensei!" Naruto thanked before running off in the same direction.

"You guys going to be alright on your own? Kakashi and I have to go report some things to the hokage." Nagare said.

"We'll be fine sensei." Fuyu responded confidently.

Nagare nodded his head before walking out the restaurant with Kakashi following suit.

Soma looked at his two teammates, who remained mostly quiet for the span of their little meal. "You two." he began pointing at both Fuyu and Sasuke. "What's going on between you both?"

Fuyu looked over at Sasuke, who maintained his stoic glare at Soma.

"What do you mean, Soma?" she asked, bringing her gaze back to him.

"Well, what happened during the exercise? Both of you basically forgot about it, and began arguing about something completely different."

Fuyu sighed quietly as she looked down at her hands.

"It was nothing." Sasuke finally answered, looking out a window to his right, staring at the dancing tree's shadows under the street lights.

_It was nothing? _Fuyu asked herself, looking at Sasuke from the corner of her eye.

"Nothing that you should be worried about at least." Sasuke explained.

Soma shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just worried about both of you." he whispered, looking out the same window.

Fuyu looked between Soma and Sasuke. "Thank you for worrying Soma." she finally said quietly.

Soma looked over at her and smiled slightly. "No need to thank me, just looking after my two teammates." he responded before getting up from his seat "I think I'm going to call it a night. It was fun, working with both of you. I'll see you tomorrow I guess." he concluded before walking out the restaurant.

Fuyu looked back over at Sasuke, who already had his gaze fixated on her.

A light blush formed, as she looked away in the opposite direction.

"You were mad." he whispered, maintaining his gaze.

"When?" she asked, looking back down at her tan hands.

"During the exercise."

Fuyu shrugged her shoulders lightly. "I guess I was."

"I'm sorry."

Fuyu looked over at her close friend, before smiling lightly. "You've already said that Sasuke." she said jokingly, playfully shoving him with her right shoulder.

A small smile tugged at Sasuke lips. "There's no harm in repeating it."

"I guess not." she agreed happily "But let's not dwell on it either."

Sasuke looked over at her before nodding his head. "Deal."

A contagious smile graced Fuyu's lips. "I think I should be going, papa wanted me back before nightfall." she explained, getting up from her seat.

Sasuke followed suit, following her out the small restaurant.

Before she walked away, Fuyu took in a deep breath of the cool air that surround the pair. "I'm so glad winter's coming." she said, mostly to herself.

"You remember what happened during the winter? 4 years ago?"

Fuyu looked over at Sasuke, although not having a specific expression, his eyes clearly showed sadness.

"Of course, how could I forget?"

Sasuke nodded his head lightly. "The best time of my life." he whispered.

Fuyu cocked her head questionably to the right. "How?" she asked slightly panicked.

"That's when we became close friends." he replied simply, smiling at her.

Fuyu smiled brightly before pulling Sasuke into a tight hug. "I'm glad that's what winter reminds you of." she whispered into his shoulder.

Sasuke slowly snaked his arms around her, pulling her closer if at all possible. "I'm glad too."

She reluctantly pulled away, only to plant a light kiss on his right cheek while holding onto his hands lightly. "I'll see tomorrow for our next mission." she whispered, before letting go of his cool hands, preparing to walk away.

Sasuke took hold of her right hand again, savoring the warmth that emitted from it. He momentarily gazed into her golden brown eyes. Ones that showed sadness, love and hope.

"See you." he murmured before letting go of her hand.

She held her hand in the other, before turning around to walk home.

_I can't wait till winter. _They both thought to themselves simultaneously.

* * *

><p><em>Thank you so much for reading! Every read that my story gets means a lot to me. :)<em>  
><em>Please leave a reviewcomment about what you think about this chapter, and what I can/should work on. I'd really appreciate it!_

_-EZ_


	8. Fuyu 01

_In this chapter, Fuyu is turning 10, and Sasuke is 11. I *tried to portray Sasuke as not completely shut out, but not completely open either. I'm not sure if I succeeded in that though. _

_Anyways, I hope you enjoy reading it~_

_p.s._  
><em>Koibito is a Japanese nickname couples use for their significant other. (: I always thought it was adorable.<em>

:-:-:

_**Fuyu 01**_

"I can't believe it's been over a 2 years since it's happened." Chifuyu whispered as both she and her husband quietly slipped out Fuyu's childish, lilac colored bedroom.

"I refuse to believe it happened on our daughter's birthday." Yukito responded, walking through the hallways of the Saatchi compound's main house.

"Do you think she remembers?" Chifuyu asked, slowly trailing behind her husband.

He rubbed the temples of his head gently before shaking his head. "I don't think it's possible to ever forget that, Chifuyu." he paused "Then, Sasuke's a constant reminder."

"My heart aches the same way it did the day it happened. I'm constantly worrying about Sasuke, even if he claims he's alright." she responded as she gracefully took a seat on the windowsill.

A few moments passed by without either saying a word as the both thought about the effects the event that took place November 7th, exactly a year ago, had on the young Uchiha.

_I still pray he won't become like Itachi. That would just…kill Fuyu. _Chifuyu thought to herself, as she absentmindedly clutched her heart through her shirt.

"He is an Uchiha after all." Yukito voiced, just above a whisper "I think he's more than capable of dealing with his feelings."

"That doesn't mean he doesn't have them." Chifuyu countered. "To suddenly be alone like that, would devastate anyone, no matter what clan their from."

Yukito looked over at her with his honey colored eyes. "Every shinobi faces death-"

"Don't, Yukito." Chifuyu interrupted. "If myself or Fuyu died, you know for a fact you'd be devastated, much less a little boy."

Yukito sighed loudly. "Iruka commented on how he's slowly shutting people out."

"I can only imagine."

"Including Fuyu." he added. "Even though she's been his friend ever since it happened."

"There's only so much she can do."

_There's no guarantee that a close friend can change fate. _Chifuyu thought to herself.

"Who would've known this would be affecting us this deeply."

Chifuyu sighed quietly, as she slowly shifted her gaze towards a wide window that allowed the winter sunlight to flood inside. She smiled lightly as she placed her palm lightly onto the chilled glass. "It's snowing." she whispered. "Fuyu loves snow."

Yukito looked over at his wife, carefully studying her features that he already knew so well. The same features that gave away any thought she was thinking, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. "_Koibito_." he called lovingly, gaining her attention away from the snow "Do you remember the promise we made before we got married?" he asked, cupping her face lovingly.

A light blush formed on Chifuyu's face. "How could I forget, Yukito?"

"Do you also remember what we promised when Fuyu was born?"

Chifuyu's gray eyes gazed into Yukito's honey ones as she mentally searched her memory of said promise.

"I don't think I remember." she whispered, looking down at her hands shamefully. "How could I have forgotten?" she asked herself aloud.

Yukito chuckled lightly. "We promised that we wouldn't doubt her, no matter the circumstance-"

"I wasn't doubting her."

"Your thoughts and expressions said otherwise." he responded softly. "It might be hard to have faith in an 9 year old, Chifuyu" he paused "But she is **our **daughter. That in itself should instill more faith in us, should it not?"

She shamefully looked down at her hands once again. "I wasn't doubting her…I was doubting Sasuke." she explained "You know well what his clan does, what their fate is. I can't help but think that the cycle will never end."

Yukito sighed quietly, before having a light smile grow across his lips. "Only time will tell what Sasuke and Fuyu's fate are. Until then, we can't make any predictions to how their lives will turn out, it'll only be unfair to both of them."

Chifuyu gently clasped her hands together. "It's hard not to." she whispered.

"But not impossible." Yukito smiled before he planted a light kiss onto her forehead. _Nor will it be impossible for Fuyu. _he thought confidently.

Unknown to the clan leaders, Fuyu caught onto every word spoken.

She wrapped her small hands around her arms as tight as she could. _So he is pushing me away? _She asked herself as a single tear ran down her right cheek.

Slowly rubbing the stray tear away, she looked out at the slowly building up snow that surrounded the Saatchi compound.

_Does that mean I'm failing you, papa? _she added, as she ran to her room as quickly and quietly as she could.

_Why did this have to happen? Why did it have to happen on my birthday? On the first day of winter. Why did this have to happen to Sasuke? _

"Why did Itachi do this?" she asked mouthed inaudibly as she finally reached her room.

Swiftly shutting the door, an overflow of tears ran down her round, rosy cheeks.

"Why do I feel like I'm not helping Sasuke?" she asked aloud as she crawled into her bed, completely ignoring the tears that stained her otherwise tan face.

_Why couldn't things happen another way?_

:-:-:

"_I'm blessed to have such a wonderful daughter, almost as much as Sasuke is blessed to have such an amazing friend." "Take as much time as you need, Fuyu." _

Chifuyu and Yukito's voices rang through their daughters mind as she slowly made her way to Sasuke's lone apartment.

She hugged herself tightly, countering the snow that gracefully fell around her, and gently littered her light brown hair.

_How can I be an amazing friend if I can't even be there for him properly? _Fuyu asked herself as she slowly neared the snow covered apartments.

_2nd floor, door 82. _

"Knock Knock Knock."

Almost as soon as the third knock emitted from the dark wooden door, the locks on the inside of the door clicked opened, followed by the door swinging opened swiftly causing Fuyu's light brown hair to blow around more than it already was.

"Fuyu." Sasuke greeted with a small smile, before noticing the small smile she gave back. "Is anything wrong?"

She shrugged her shoulders in response. "Nothing important." she replied quietly. "What are you up to?" she added, forcing her smile to grow larger.

"Well first, come in you'll die from a cold if you stand out there." he responded, moving from the doorway to allow his close friend in. "Now, close your eyes."

Fuyu absentmindedly cocked her head to the right in curiosity. "Why Sasuke?"

"Just do it, I have a surprise for you."

"I don't like surprises Sasuke." she replied quietly "You know that."

"I promise you'll like it!" Sasuke reassured "Just please, close your eyes Fuyu." Sasuke repeated, walking over to a small lilac box that sat on the side table.

Fuyu sighed quietly. "If you say so." she mumbled, putting her hands over her eyes.

A small smile formed on Sasuke's face as he looked down at his closest friend whom he easily towered over. "Hold your hands out."

"But then I'll see what the surprise is."

"Then just close your eyes Fu'." he replied, laughing slightly.

Fuyu laughed quietly, holding her hands out.

Without a moments hesitation, Sasuke planted the small box in her hands. "Open 'em." he whispered.

Fuyu slowly cracked open her left eye before fully opening both of them. She looked at the box, to Sasuke and back several times. "What is it?" she asked cluelessly.

"Open it if you want to find out." Sasuke replied, walking over to the small kitchen towards the back of the house.

Fuyu gently lifted the edge of the cover of the box before taking it off fully.

As soon as she opened it, the light glistened off a small jewel in the center of a small lilac flower hair clip.

Fuyu let out a silent awe as she looked up at where Sasuke previously was. "Sasuke?" she called quietly as she made her way to the small scullery. "Why did you give this to me?"

Sasuke's light smile slowly shrank down to an emotionless face. "For starters, it's your birthday. Second, I saw you looking at it last Spring, I wanted it give it to you earlier but I couldn't find it during the Summer or Autumn." he replied simply "Do you not like it?"

"No!" Fuyu countered "I…love it." she answered quietly. "I just don't deserve it though."

"Why not?"

Fuyu shrugged her shoulders as small tears formed in her eyes. "I didn't do anything to receive this." she paused, biting her lower lip. "If anything, I should be giving you something because of what today is."

"Today? Today is your birthday." Sasuke countered.

"Sasuke…today's the day Itachi-"

"It was yesterday actually." he interrupted "When they found me that day, on your birthday, I was unconscious for an entire day but everyone thought it happened that morning, including you."

"But my parents-"

"They're wrong too. But I'm sorry for allowing you to think that happened on your birthday."

A sad smile graced Fuyu's tan features. "So…you don't think today's…"cursed"? Fuyu asked, allowing a single tear to run it's course down her cheek before quickly whipping it away.

"Why would I?" he asked, allowing a small smile to form. "In contrast, I'd rather it be today than yesterday."

To his surprise, Fuyu shuffled over into the kitchen, and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Thank you, so much Sasuke." she said muffled. "It's the best thing I've ever gotten." she added.

Reluctantly, Sasuke hugged back halfheartedly.

Finally pulling away, Fuyu gently closed the box again before looking back up at Sasuke.

"How'd you know lilac was my favorite color?" she asked out of the blue.

"'pa told me." he replied quietly.

"oh." she responded quietly looking out towards the window "It's snowing outside. I can't remember the last time it snowed."

"…want to go play outside?"

"Of course!" she replied, running to pull her jacket back on. "C'mon Sasuke! We don't want the snow to melt."

"I doubt the snow will be going anywhere, Fuyu." he mumbled to himself as he took his time in pulling his jacket on.

_In this case, lying is for the best. _Sasuke thought to himself as he slowly trailed behind Fuyu's footsteps.

:-:-:

"_Sasuke." Yukito called from behind the young Uchiha, gaining his attention._

"_Yes, pa?"* Sasuke responded, pausing his current training session. _

"_I need you to do something for me." he responded, walking over to him. "Do you think you can do it?"_

"_What is it?"_

_Yukito looked down before crouching to Sasuke's level. "Tomorrow, you know what tomorrow is, right?"_

_Sasuke's eyes grew sad before he nodded his head slowly. "It's the day Itachi-" _

"_It's alright, you don't have to continue." Yukito interrupted "But it's also Fuyu's birthday, I'm sure you remember that also." _

_Not being able to find is voice, Sasuke nodded his head slowly in response. _

"_Could you please…reassure her that her birthday isn't the same day that happened." he whispered "I know it sounds hard, but I just can't bare to see her cry again."_

"_I'll do it." Sasuke whispered "I can do it, pa." Sasuke whispered confidently. _

_A sad smile formed on Yukito's lips. "Thank you, Sasuke." he whispered before pulling him into a tight hug. "Come on, I think you've done enough training for today, Mama's making you and Fuyu's favorites." _

_Sasuke's eyes lightened up slightly. "Really?" _

"_Really, Sasuke." Yukito replied quietly. "We don't want it to get cold, now do we?"_

_Sasuke shook his head, forcing a small smile onto his face. _

_I guess I'll just have to hid how I feel even more tomorrow. He thought to himself as he walked in step with Yukito, back to the Saatchi compound._

* * *

><p><em>*This will come up more as the story progresses, but Sasuke refers to Yukito (Fuyu's father) as Pa because he somewhat like a dad to him.<em>

_I hope you enjoyed this chapter!~_

_Thank you so much for reading! Every read that my story gets means a lot to me. :)_  
><em>Please leave a reviewcomment about what you think about this chapter, and what I can/should work on. I'd really appreciate it!_

_-EZ_


	9. Fuyu 02

_Chunin Exams? Yes!~ (:  
>I decided to skip the whole Zabuza and Haku thing mainly because I absolutely hated those episodeschapters. To me, they had no point. -_- So I jumped to the Chunin exams. (:  
>I know that in the mangaanime, the Chunin exams started on June the 1st and not November the 9th, but I changed it to fit the story.  
>The Ryu Bridge that I'm talking about is the red bridge that team 7 always meets on, but I don' think it has a name, so I named it Ryu~<em>

_Anyways, thanks for reading. :)_

:-:-:

_**Fuyu 02**_

_It's the first day of winter. _Fuyu thought to herself as her eyes slowly fluttered opening to a gently lit lilac room. _But yesterday was..._

"Fuyu, are you awake?" Chifuyu questioned from the other side of Fuyu's bedroom door.

"I just woke up actually." she replied, rubbing out the sleepies from her eyes.

"Perfect. Nagare wanted me to tell you that he wants you to meet your team the Ryu Bridge." she paused "Actually, you were supposed to be there around 15 minutes ago."

"Oh, I overslept!" Fuyu exclaimed, scrambling out her bed reaching for her change of clothes before rushing towards the restroom.

"Breakfast will be on the table." Chifuyu chuckled before walking away from her daughters bedroom. _Happy 13th birthday, Fuyu._

:-:-:

"I'm leaving now!" Fuyu announced as she quickly slipped on her blue Shinobi sandals.

"We'll be waiting!" Yukito called behind her as she finally rushed out the Saatchi compound.

_I must be 30 minutes late already. _Fuyu thought to herself disappointingly as her slightly damp hair flowed behind her rushed sprints. _I hope they won't be too upset. _She added as she rushed past all the familiar landmarks that bordered the narrow streets of Konoha.

A light smile graced her lips as she slowly closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath of the crisp winter air that surrounded her. _The weather makes up for everything. _She thought to herself, as she jumped down a small flight of stairs in an attempt to increase her pace.

_500 more meters, then I should be there. _

"Fuyu!" a familiar voice called from behind her, causing her to slide to halt and peek over her shoulder causing her brown hair to cascade slowly.

"Soma!" she greeted, happy to know she's not the only late one.

"Yo." he replied simply as he finally fell into step with her "Rushing to get to the Ryu, huh?"

"How'd you know?" she responded, with a shy smile.

"For some reason, for the past 2 months, you've been late when we meet at that bridge." he paused "Every time, I catch up with you while you're rushing over there. I guess I just caught onto your habit."

Fuyu laughed lightly. "You've caught me red handed. This meeting place is actually the farthest from my house out of all of them."

"Then on top of that you wake up late." Soma added.

"_And _I wake up late." she corrected "At least I'm not getting there late on my own!" she added happily.

"That's a way to look at it." he chuckled as they finally approached the Ryu Bridge.

"Hey!" Naruto greeted "I didn't know you guys were meeting here also!"

"We didn't know either." Soma replied as Fuyu waved lightly.

"Kakashi and Nagare sensei isn't here yet?" Fuyu asked looking around her slightly.

"Of course they're not." Sasuke replied, leaning against the rail of the bridge with his eyes closed. "They're never on time, even if their life depended on it."

Soma shrugged. "Maybe they do have things to take care of before they come meet us."

"Or maybe they're just incompetent losers." Sasuke retorted.

Fuyu looked over at Sasuke from the corner of her eye. _I don't think it something to get so upset over, Sasuke. _She said to herself before tearing her gaze towards the water underneath them.

"What do you think they want to talk to us about?" Ritsu yawned, leaning against the rail so as not to fall.

"Whatever it is, I just hope it's about the Chunin exams!" Naruto replied, pumping a fist in the air.

"I heard about those. When are they exactly?" Sakura asked, jumping into the conversation.

"They're a type of test to see the abilities of us genin. If we preform well, we'll be considered to be promoted as chunin." Soma replied, taking his spot against the rail also.

"Oh, do you think Kakashi or Nagare submitted us to take it?" Fuyu asked, still looking out at the water.

"I hope not." Sakura mumbled under her breath. _I don't think I could ever get past such a test._

"They better have! I want to show everyone how strong I am." Naruto replied, clenching his fists tightly.

"Tsk. Where are they?" Sasuke asked, more irritated than before.

"Calm down Sasuke. They're most likely on their way." Soma advised quietly.

"Shut up Soma." he growled "You've always gotten on my nerves."

Soma sighed deeply. "The feelings mutual. Get off your high horse, will you?"

A light gust of cool wind blew past the group of 6 genin as Soma and Sasuke began their stare down.

The atmosphere instantly changed to an uncomfortable one. One that worried both Fuyu and Sakura deeply.

"Well?" Sasuke taunted. "What are you willing to do about it?"

"The wise one waits for his opponent to make the first move. Shouldn't you know that Sasuke? Since you are from the Uchiha clan." Soma replied smugly.

"What's that supposed to mean, Soma?" Sasuke growled.

Soma smirked quietly. "You're supposed to be prodigy. Don't tell me you're letting your clan down."

Sasuke clenched his fists tightly. "I'll show you what a prodigy is."

"Itachi Uchiha-"

"Stop it!" Fuyu commanded, looking between Soma and Sasuke who both towered over her. "Both of you."

"-was the prodigy of the Uchiha clan. I'm sure you're aware of that." Soma finished, before looking down at Fuyu. _There's no excuse to why he should act like this, Fuyu. _

"You wouldn't understand." Sasuke whispered, looking down. "You wouldn't understand, what he's done, everything he's done-!"

"Good morning!" Kakashi greeted as he appeared from a poof of smoke, along with Nagare Sensei. "Did we miss anything?" he added, looking at both Sasuke and Soma. _Not that either of you would admit it to me, and on top of that, it's no where near to being a good day for Sasuke. _Kakashi thought to himself before looking over at Fuyu.

Fuyu, Sakura, Naruto and Ritsu remained silent as the periodically veered their gaze from their two Sensei towards Soma and Sasuke. Senseis. Soma and Sasuke. Senseis. Soma and Sasuke.

"Alright. Cold shoulder is fine too." Nagare chuckled, trying to dispel the negative atmosphere. "I bet all of you are wondering what we've called you here for." he paused, walking closer to the students. "We've come to tell you that...we submitted you to participate in the Chunin exams!"

"Yes!" Naruto and Ritsu exclaimed simultaneously. "When is it?" they both asked eagerly.

"Two days from now." Kakashi answered, pulling out their applications from his pocket. "Here are your applications. You decided whether you take the exam or not, if you do decide to take it, turn it in the day the exam starts." he explained, handing each student their application.

"Here's the catch though." Nagare began "In order to participate, your whole team must turn in their application. If one person in your team decides not to participate, then that means the other two can't either."

Fuyu tightened her hold on her application slightly. "So, in a way, it's mandatory?" She asked quietly, looking down at the application.

"Unless you want your teammates to be on you, then yes." Nagare replied happily. "But not to worry, each of you are more than ready to be in this exam. We wouldn't have submitted you if we thought otherwise."

Despite the exchange of words that happened just a few moments ago, a light smirk formed on Sasuke's lips. _This sounds like it could be fun. _He thought to himself looking down at his application.

Soma looked over at his two teammates, being sure to make eye contact with them. "We're doing it." he answered simply.

A genuine smile formed on Nagare's lips. "that's what I was waiting for! You three can decide to train or rest, it's all up to you. But remember, if you do end up not becoming a chunin, I'll be proud of you either way."

Fuyu, Soma and Ritsu nodded their head lightly in understandment.

_I guess I really don't have a choice now, do I? _She asked herself looking at both of her teammates.

"Same goes for you three." Kakashi mumbled having his nose stuck in his favorite reading material. "The 1st part of the exam will be at the academy at 9 am sharp, November 9th." he paused, looking over the brim of his book "I advise you don't be late." he finished before poofing away in smoke.

"Great! I'm off to go train!" Naruto announced. "Mind coming with me Sakura?" he asked in a lovely voice.

"Why on earth would I!" She responded before walking away, having Naruto sadly follow suit.

Nagare sighed quietly. "Good luck! I won't see any of you till the 9th." he bidded, preparing to preform his disappearing act also, at last minute looking over his shoulder. "Bsst. Fuyu." he whispered gaining everyone's attention. "Happy birthday." he added, tossing her a medium white box before poofing away, not giving her an opportunity to express her gratitude.

Ritsu quietly snuck up on her, looking over her shoulder. "I didn't know it was your birthday." he whispered, waiting for her to open the present.

She smile lightly before slowly lifting the top off.

Having more interest in Sasuke, Soma maintained his relaxed glare at the Uchiha. _What makes him think he's so high and mighty? _He asked himself, getting slightly irked.

Sasuke shot his glare back at Soma, beginning the battle between onyx eyes and dark brown ones.

Sasuke's mind instantly brought up a mental picture of his brother. _Itachi. _He growled mentally as he finally tore his glare away from the Niou's. _I swear...I'll get my revenge. _

"No way! That's pretty neat!" Ritsu exclaimed once Fuyu finally revealed the present.

3 identical necklaces, each with 4 charms on it. 1 Garnet. 1 Emerald. 1. Peridot. 1 Yellow Topaz. In the middle of the four was the largest of them all: "Malachite." Soma whispered after walking over to his team.

"What do you think they're for?" Ritsu asked curiously.

"They're our birthstones. Garnet for January. Emerald for May. Peridot for August. And Yellow Topaz for November." Fuyu explained. "The Malachite represents friendship."

"That's so sweet!" Ritsu commented, clasping his hands together. "Does that mean we all get one."

"I would think so." Fuyu replied smiling brightly before handing her two teammates a necklace.

"I feel like we're apart of a gang now." Ritsu chuckled as he clasped his onto his neck.

"Here, I'll put it on for you." Soma offered, taking Fuyu's necklace from her tan hands.

Sasuke stood behind the group of three with a light scowl on his face. _If only they knew what today was. _He thought before looking at Fuyu's happy expression. _If only she know what today way. _He thought as he expression softened to a sad one.

"I'm leaving." he announced, turning on his heel to head the opposite way.

"Bye!" Ritsu responded, before going back to ramble on about the necklaces.

"Wait Sasuke-!"

"Let's go get something to eat." Soma suggested, lightly pushing Fuyu in another direction, not giving her an opportunity to object. "It is your birthday after all."

"Great idea!" Ritsu agreed.

_I'm not going to let him rotten you, Fuyu. _Soma thought to himself, taking one last glance back at Sasuke's disappearing figure.

Sasuke smirked lightly. _Let's see how long she'll allow you to keep that up, Soma._

:-:-:

"_Don't worry you two, we'll dominate in the Chunin exams!" "If we are put against each other, we'll forfeit. It's not worth injuring our teammate." _Fuyu's teammates voices rang through her mind as she made her way to a certain Uchiha's house.

She wrapped her arms around herself lightly, trying to shield herself from the cool winds that periodically blew past her.

"_Don't tell me you're letting your clan down." "You wouldn't understand!" _Fuyu sighed quietly. _Please don't let this affect anything. _She begged mentally.

In a matter of minutes, Fuyu found herself standing in front of door 82, having going there hundreds of times prior.

She lightly knocked three times, not receiving a response. Three more times. No response.

_Maybe..._She knocked three more times, slightly harder. Still no response. _He should be home by now. _She thought to herself, looking around her for any sign of Sasuke.

"Sasuke?" she called quietly "Are you there?"

No response.

Fuyu let out a small sigh before heading back towards the flight of stairs she previously climbed up. _I hope he didn't take what Soma said to heart. _She thought to herself as she sprinted down the stairs with ease.

Unknown to her, Sasuke was home though. He silently watched her walk home in the orange sunlight of the setting sun.

His eyes slowly shut tightly while his usually, expressionless face, transformed into a scowl.

"_In order to gain the power to kill me...you must kill your closest friend." _

Sasuke opened his eyes as images of both Fuyu and Naruto flashed in his head. He sighed deeply. _That's irritating, if I was to gain power in the way he instructed me to. _He thought to himself, walking towards his bedroom.

_I won't do something as drastic, but just enough to sever my dependence on them. Just enough to gain more power._

:-:-:

**I hope our wisdom will grow with our power, and teach us, that the less we use our power the greater it will be.**

* * *

><p><em>Thank you so much for reading! Every read that my story gets means a lot to me. :)<em>  
><em>Please leave a reviewcomment about what you think about this chapter, and what I can/should work on. I'd really appreciate it!_

_-EZ_


	10. Fuyu 03

_I'm sorry if this chapter's a little confusing, the first parts about Kakashi and Nagare happened after they gave their teams the applications, then the part about Fuyu and her family happened 2 days after or the night before the Chunin exams. In other words, the Chunin exams starts in the next chapter. _

:-:-:

_**Fuyu 03**_

"Kakashi. Nagare. I understand that you gave your students their Chunin applications 2 days ago, correct?"

Nagare and Kakashi nodded simultaneously to Sandaime's question.

"Your students are more than ready to participate in the Chunin exams individually. But as for teamwork." Sandaime paused, taking in a deep breath "I don't feel they're ready in that sense."

"Excuse me, Hokage Sama, but how could you say so if you've never watched them work together?" Kakashi objected "Things might be rocky, yes, but that doesn't mean it's impossible for them to work as a team."

"Kakashi." Nagare whispered, attempting to gain his attention but failing.

"In my mind." Kakashi continued "This team is the only one I would ever approve to participate in the chunin exams."

Sandaime took in a deep breath, letting out a large puff of smoke before looking back up at the two Jonin that stood before him/ "Very well Kakashi. I trust your decision."

An invisible smile formed under Kakashi's mask. "Thank you, Hokage Sama." he replied, bowing slightly.

"You both can leave." Sandaime responded, turning around to peer out the series of windows behind him.

The door slowly open and shut quietly, signaling that the two Jonin did as they were told.

_Only time will tell. _Sandaime thought to himself, watching the few orange and red leafs gently flow in the Winter breeze.

:-:-:

"Oi, Kakashi." Nagare called, trailing after his fellow Jonin, with his Nin-kin, Masuru, following closely. "Don't you think we should think about what the Hokage said? Even for a minute?"

"There's no point." Kakashi replied, continuing his stride. "Don't you have faith in your Genin?"

"I have faith in _my _Genin, yes. Just not yours." he replied.

Kakashi stopped mid-step before turning around to face Nagare. "What do you mean by that?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"I'm sure you've noticed this, your team doesn't flow well. On top of that, they're constantly bickering with mine."

"That's fine. In the Chunin exams, they'll be in groups of 3 not 6." Kakashi replied, preparing to continue his journey home.

"Then what about Soma and Sasuke?" Nagare asked, causing Kakashi to stop mid-step once again. "You know what happened between them earlier today. Then what happened to them when we escorted Tazuna." he paused "it's obvious something'll happened during the Chunin exams."

Kakashi took in a silent breath as a light gust of wind blew past the two Jonin and nin-kin. "Naruto, Sakura, Fuyu and Ritsu will be there to keep an eye on them both, I'm sure."

"Damn it, Kakashi!" Nagare exclaimed "You can't keep depending on those kids. They might be smart and determined, but those two qualities won't ensure them success!"

"Soma and Sasuke almost killed each other during that mission, and now you want to give them the possibility of killing each other during the Chunin exams!"

"Every shinobi has to counter that." Kakashi responded quietly. "That's how we grow and learn."

"Learning by dying?"

"I didn't tell you to submit your team in the Chunin exams, did I Nagare?" Kakashi questioned "Then I refuse to speak of this any longer. If you feel like this is too much of a risk, then please do explain to your team that you don't want them participating-"

"Kakashi" Masuru called "Your reasons are correct, but what will you do if they do end up killing each other?"

Kakashi veered his single eye's gaze to the nin-kin.

"Are you prepared to deal with two lost lives of children who haven't even gotten the opportunity to be real shinobi?"

Kakashi grew silent as he thought about the correct words to respond with. "We won't know until we take the chance, will we?"

Nagare let out a light sigh. "Alright, Kakashi." Nagare whispered "But if anything does happen between those two, I'll automatically pin the responsibility on you." he finished, heading in the opposite direction Kakashi was heading.

Kakashi watched as his fellow Jonin slowly disappeared from sight. _I guess...everything is up to you two, Soma, Sasuke. _He thought to himself as he continued his journey home.

:-:-:

Two days have passed since Nagare Sensei gave his Genin their applications for the Chunin exams.

The cool winter breeze flowed freely through the Saatchi Clan's compound, racing through everyone's skin softly accompanied by the gentle twinkles of the few stars that softly lit up the night sky.

"So our little girl is going to be participating in the Chunin exams?" Chifuyu asked worriedly, despite the small _forced _smile on her face.

Fuyu looked over at her mom. "Yes, mama." She responded softly "But I promise I'll be fine!" she reassured, catching onto her mother's worried expression.

"We believe you Fuyu-chibiusa, but it is a little soon." Yukito voiced, looking over at his daughter with a warm smile.

Fuyu looked down at the dinner set before her. "So, you don't think I should participate in it...?" she asked softly.

Yukito and Chifuyu exchanged looks silently.

"We never said that." Yukito finally responded "We know you're more than ready to participate in it, it's just the thought of you going against all those people is what's bothering us."

"But Fuyu," Chifuyu called, ghosting a gentle finger tip across Fuyu's rosy cheek "Go show them how powerful the Saatchi clan is." she finished with a winsome smile.

A small smile formed on Fuyu's lips as she gazed up at her mother. "I'll do my best!" she responded happily, earning a chuckle of confidence from her father.

"If you do become a Chunin at this age, you'll be the youngest in our clan." Yukito commented.

"Really?" Fuyu asked, looking down at her food slightly worried.

"But" Chifuyu began "Even if you don't become a Chunin on this try, there's always next year. Besides" she began leaning closer to Fuyu's ears "Your father didn't become a Chunin till he was 17."

A small giggled came from Fuyu. "Why?" she asked curiously.

"Ahem. That's not important." Yukito objected with a light blush forming on his face.

"Well, let's just say he couldn't fight me during the last part of the exam." her mother replied happily. "Isn't that right, Yukito?" she asked dauntingly.

Yukito let out a defeated sigh. "Yes." he replied almost silently.

Fuyu bubbled up with laughter. "It's okay papa, it doesn't change what I think of you." she reassured between giggles.

A small smile formed on Yukito's lips. "I'm glad, Fuyu."

Despite the obviously warm smile she had on her face, Chifuyu couldn't help but worry about her daughter. _I have to have faith in you, Fuyu._

:-:-:

"Fuyu, get lots of sleep. You need all your energy for the Chunin exams tomorrow." Chifuyu advised from the other side of Fuyu's bedroom door.

"Goodnight mama!" She responded, sitting at the windowsill that gave her a few of the quiet lake that surrounded the compound. The moonlight gently reflected and jumped off the crystal clear water that made everything all the more calm.

Fuyu's eyes quickly darted to a single snowflake as it gently flowed down to land in the center of her palm.

A few more followed.

_I wonder what it'll be like. _She thought to herself, planting her chin onto her hands as she gently closed her eyes. _I wonder what kind of people will be participating in it also. _

A few more.

She absentmindedly clutched the necklace that hung gently around her neck. _I wonder if Soma and Ritsu are as worried as I am. _

A few more snowflakes fell till the backyard was almost completely covered with the fluffy white substance.

"_Fuyu! Don t' be so worried! We'll dominate those Chunin exams." _Ritsu's words rang through Fuyu's mind repeatedly.

_I guess if I do believe anyone, it should be Ritsu. _She thought to herself with a bright smile forming on her face, watching the snowflakes float on the cold water. _All I should be worrying about is trying my best. _She added as she made her way to her bed.

_Team Nagare is more than ready for these exams. _She thought to herself confidently.

_But...what about Sasuke's team? _She asked herself just before she fell into a light slumber, preparing for tomorrow's big day.

:-:-:

"_Alright! I think we're definitely ready for those Chunin exams tomorrow!" Ritsu exclaimed, once Team 13 finally perfected their team jutsu. _

_Soma smirked lightly. "We've always been ready." _

"_I wish I could have you two's confidence." Fuyu confessed quietly. _

"_What do you mean?" Ritsu asked, his dark green eyes twinkling in the oranges and reds of the setting winter sun._

_Fuyu shrugged her shoulders slightly. "I'm just afraid I won't do so well."_

"_Nonsense!" Ritsu countered. "if anything, you're probably the one who will become the Chunin Fuyu! I mean, with all your strategic stuff and whatever." _

"_I agree." Soma whispered "You did come up with the majority of this jutsu, there shouldn't be anything that holds you back from becoming a chunin." _

"_Other than me not having enough faith in myself." Fuyu corrected with a sad smile._

"_Fuyu! Don't be so worried! We'll dominate those Chunin exams!" Ritsu reassured with Soma nodding his head firmly._

_Fuyu's sad smile slowly grew into a lambent one. She nodded her head confidently, gazing up at her two teammates that easily towered over her. _

"_Alright! Chunin exams, get ready to be stomped on." Ritsu exclaimed with a daunting smile. _

_I'll try my hardest to not let either of you down._

* * *

><p><em>Thank you so much for reading! Every read that my story gets means a lot to me. :)<em>  
><em>Please leave a reviewcomment about what you think about this chapter, and what I can/should work on. I'd really appreciate it!_

_-EZ_


	11. Fuyu 04

_Chibiusa means little rabbit in Japanese.  
>I was wondering, does the cursing offend any of you? If it does, could you please tell me? And I'm sorry for the previous chapters~<em>

:-:-:

_**Fuyu 04**_

The young Uchiha prodigy looked over at the alarm clock that rested on the night stand near his bed. Repeating the same series of actions, every 5 minutes.

A small smirk grew across his face. _I didn't think it would be this excited about the Chunin exams. I just can't wait to fight all those monsters. _He thought to himself cockily as images of, Soma, Neji and a certain red-head flickered through his mind.

_I'll be sure to take advantage of every opportunity to fight all of them. _He promised as he forced his onyx eyes shut.

_Especially you, Soma._

:-:-:

Fuyu silently laid in her bed, staring up at the ceiling in darkness.

_I don't think I'm going to be able to do this..._She thought to herself, balling up her left fist lightly. _I don't want to risk everything and in the process embarrass myself and my team. _

She rolled over onto her right side, facing the wide window that allowed the rising sunlight to flood in. _But then again...I don't want to seem like such a coward. _

"All of this is so frustrating! What am I supposed to do!" She whispered/yelled out loud, not expecting for anyone to answer.

"_Fuyu! Don't be so worried! We'll dominate those Chunin exams!" "You did come up with the majority of this jutsu, there shouldn't be anything that holds you back from becoming a chunin." _

"It seems like everyone else has all this confidence in me, but myself." she sighed to herself, slowly shutting her eyes.

"How do I ever expect to keep up Soma and Ritsu if I keep feeling this way?"

:-:-:

"So this is it, isn't it Fuyu-chibiusa." Yukito asked his daughter as he watched her slip on her shinobi sandals through sad eyes.

"It just seems like yesterday that you started attending the academy, Fuyu. And now...now you're going off to take the Chunin exams." Chifuyu expressed, cupping her daughters cheeks in a loving manner.

Fuyu sighed silently. "I still don't feel like I can do this though. I keep thinking that something's going to go wrong." she responded, looking off at budding Japanese Apricots that thrived in the Saatchi compound.

"That's the last thing you'll want to be thinking on the first day you start the Chunin exams, Fuyu." Yukito advised, crouching to Fuyu's level. "I understand you have some doubts about yourself, but don't let that affect your actions and decisions. If anything, use those doubts to your advantage and prove to yourself that they were wrong."

"That's a lot easier said than done." Fuyu replied, looking sadly into her father's chocolate brown eyes.

A sad smile formed on Yukito's face. "But it's not impossible."

"Fuyuuuu!~" A familiar voice called from the entrance of the Saatchi compound "You ready? Soma and I are all fired up! C'mon, let's not keep our enemies waiting!" Ritsu called, ushering her to come with them.

Fuyu waved a hand in acknowledgment before looking back at her parents.

"You'll be fine, Fuyu-chibiusa." Chifuyu reassured her.

"Remember, those two" Yukito began pointing at her two teammates "Are looking after you every step of the way."

a small smile managed to grace Fuyu's features as she nodded her head in agreement. "I'll see you when I get home." she bidded, bowing respectfully before running off to meet up with her teammates.

_And we'll be waiting. _Chifuyu thought to herself, clasping her hands together worriedly.

"Fuyu!" Ritsu called once she finally fell instep with the duo. "You ready to beat some butts during the Chunin exams?" he asked, fire blazing in his eyes.

Fuyu smiled nervously before looking over at Soma with a confused look.

"You should've seen the way he was acting on the way to your house." he responded, maintaining his gaze on the road ahead of them.

"What kind of people do you think we'll be going up against?" Ritsu asked enthusiastically. "I hope they're strong, just so I can see how powerful I am." he added, looking down at his hands as he clenched and unclenched them repeatedly.

"Be careful what you wish for, Ritsu." Soma warned, stuffing his hands into his pockets. _Although, I can't help but wonder who I'll be up against. _Soma thought to himself, with an image of Sasuke almost immediately appearing in his mind.

"Whoever we go against, let's just make sure we win." Fuyu added with a warm smile.

"You bet!"

"I don't think we could have it any other way."

a toothy smile formed on Ritsu's face. "Let's go, I don't want to be late for the first part of the exam!" he exclaimed before sprinting off to the Academy building.

Soma sighed deeply before running after him, with Fuyu following suit.

Still subconsciously thinking about his steps, Soma peered behind his right shoulder at his female teammate. _Don't start having doubts now Fuyu. _He said to her mentally, raising his eyebrow slightly. _Or, don't start worrying about people who aren't worth your thoughts. _

_It's not fair to think about someone who's on a different team. _Both Fuyu and Soma thought simultaneously as they continued trailing behind Ritsu.

:-:-:

"Alright." Ritsu began pulling out his -crushed- application. "It says we're supposed to go to the 3rd floor for the exam room." he explained, looking back at his teammates.

"Well then, standing out here won't help us will it?" Soma asked with a cocky smirk on his face.

"That's what I'm talking about, Soma!" Ritsu responded enthusiastically. "Let's go-"

"Oi, Ritsu!" a familiar voice called from behind him.

"Hey Naruto!" he called back, waving his right hand frantically. "You guys decided to take the Chunin exams too?"

"Hell yeah! What made you think we wouldn't?" Naruto replied once he and his team finally grouped up with their partner team.

A sly smirk appeared on Ritsu's face. "That means there's the possibility that we'll be going against each other."

Soma scoffed. "That'll be perfect." he added before looking over at Fuyu. "Hey-"

"Did they pressure you into taking the Chunin exams, Fuyu?" Sakura asked, gaining Fuyu's attention.

"As much as I would like to blame it on them, I made the choice myself." she replied with a small smile. "But, if anything happens to me, I'll blame them either way."

Sakura laughed lightly. "That sounds like a good idea. I just might use it on Naruto and Sasuke."

"What are you two talking about over there!" Ritsu asked, looking past Soma and Naruto. "I heard something about blaming something on us."

"They're probably planning for us to work together as one team." Sasuke teased, smirking lightly.

"Don't worry, we won't need any of _your _help." Soma retorted coldly.

Sasuke's smirk slowly transformed into a scowl. "Like I'd help the likes of you."

"I don't take the personally, Sasuke."

"What's going on between you two?" Ritsu asked quietly.

"Nothing I hope." Fuyu answered quietly, periodically switching her gaze from Soma to Sasuke and back. _Especially now of all times. _

_I don't think you're that naive to not notice anything going on between us, Fuyu. _Soma thought to himself before heading towards the entrance of the academy. "Of course not." he finally responded before looking over his shoulder at his teammates. "Let's go tackle this Chunin exam."

"Hell yeah!" Ritsu yelled before rushing in after his teammate.

Before following suit, Fuyu looked back at Sasuke, who's gaze was glued on the back of Soma's head. Sharply, his gaze locked onto Fuyu's honey brown eyes.

_Please don't let this escalate anymore Sasuke. _Fuyu pleaded mentally before following her teammates into the academy.

_You know I won't be the first to back down, Fuyu. _Sasuke thought, as if he read her mind perfectly. "Well, what are we still doing out here?" he asked in a cocky tone. "Let's go show them what team Kakashi can do."

"-Dettebayo!" Naruto exclaimed, pumping a fist into the air, while Sakura nodded her head in agreement.

_I won't let either of you down. _She thought to herself, following her teammates through the doors.

:-:-:

"_Don't worry, we won't need any of your help." "Like I'd help the likes of you." When did this sour relationship between you two begin? _Fuyu asked herself, looking up at the backside of Soma. _Ever since the mission to Kirigakure, the atmosphere between those two has been uneasy. _

"Well, it looks like the whole teams here." a familiar voice commented from behind the trio.

"Nagare sensei!" Ritsu called happily.

"What are you doing here?" Fuyu asked curiously. "I thought Sensei weren't allowed to take the exams with their students."

"they're not, I just wanted to wish you three good luck is all. Not that you'll need it."

"Of course we don't need it, Sensei! We've got this in the bag." Ritsu responded confidently.

A sad smile formed lightly on Nagare's face. "I have no doubt of that."

Unknown to him, Fuyu almost immediately caught onto his forced smile. _What could he be worried about?_She asked herself, absentmindedly cocking her head to the right slightly.

"Anyways, go on. From now on, you'll be faced with obstacles many people can't overcome but I have all the faith in the world that you three will surpass them." Nagare said sincerely, turning away slightly from his students. "Who knows, maybe the next time we go on a mission, you'll all be Chunin."

"Sounds like a challenge to me!" Ritsu responded before rushing in through the white double doors with Soma following behind short thereafter.

Before taking his last step out the opposite door, Nagare stopped in his path and looked back at Fuyu who stood there looking up at her Sensei through confused eyes.

"What is it, Fuyu?" he asked, walking back over to her.

"Nothing I guess." she replied with a light smile. "Just...believe in us, and we'll be sure to succeed Sensei." she whispered, bowing slightly before going through the same double doors.

_If that's all you need, Fuyu. _Nagare thought to himself, heading back towards the doors. _Then so be it._

:-:-:

"T-there's so many people..." Ritsu whispered to himself, scanning over all the scarred faces of the various shinobi that sat before him. "How do they expect us to become Chunin, if all these people are participating at the same time?"

"I can't argue with you on that one." Soma agreed, constantly dodging death glares he received from various genin.

"I think my confidence just went down the drain." Fuyu whispered, hiding behind her two teammates.

"That's disappointing." a voice teased behind her "I'd expect more from the heir to the Saatchi clan." Sasuke finished, walking over to the trio.

A light smile graced Fuyu's features. "Sorry to be so disappointing Sasuke." she responded, looking right into his onyx eyes. _That's the last thing I want to do._

Unknown to Fuyu though, Sasuke maintained his gaze at her, catching onto every thought that ran in her mind. _You'll never get far if you keep underestimating yourself, Fuyu. _He thought to himself, smirking quietly.

"So, when does the exam start?" Naruto asked, completely ignoring the numerous groups of Genin before him.

"10 more minutes-!" Fuyu answered, only to be interrupted by a special Kunai whizzing past her nose. Her honey brown eyes locked onto the projectile, which was now struck inside the wall to the right of her.

"What the?" Ritsu mumbled looking from where the kunai came from. "Who threw that!" he asked, raising a fist to each person in the room.

"I think that would be me." a feminine voice answered from behind the group of rookie genin, easily gaining Fuyu's attention.

_What was the purpose of that? _Fuyu asked herself mentally, looking right into the vibrant green eyes of the girl in front of her.

"I heard that kid" he began pointing at Sasuke "say something about you being heir to the Saatchi clan. Is that true?" she cooed with an amused smile.

"It doesn't concern you." Soma answered, not giving Fuyu to.

"I believe I asked her, not you." she retorted before looking back at Fuyu, still awaiting her answer.

"I am." Fuyu responded, more confidently than she had expected "Why?"

A sly smile formed on the girls face. "Aoi Hintou." she replied "Is my name."

"Hintou?" Fuyu questioned, calling many things to mind. "From Yukigakure?"

"Correct! They did say your clan was full of geniuses, but I didn't think you'd be one of them!" she responded happily "Anyways, since you're from the Saatchi clan...I'll be waiting for my opportunity to fight you."

Fuyu's eyes widened slightly.

"I mean, only if you're up to it, Fuyu-hime." she added, bowing mockingly.

Fuyu grew silent, barely adjusting the becoming the center of someone's attention so suddenly. A mischievous smile formed on her lips. "I'll be looking forward to it also, Aoi Hintou."

Aoi smiled just as mischievously. "Sorry about the Kunai." she finally said "I wanted to get your attention in an exciting way. Hope you mind."

"Of course not." Fuyu said sincerely.

"Till then." Aoi bidded before walking smoothly back to her teammates.

"You really don't wish to fight her, do you Fuyu?" Sakura asked from beside her, worry lining her words.

Fuyu shrugged her shoulders lightly. "In all honesty, not exactly." Fuyu confessed with a small smile. "But she'll just serve as more incentive for me to try even harder."

"Hm." Sasuke grunted, gaining Fuyu's attention. "Who would've thought you would react so calmly to such a direct threat like that, Fuyu."

"You're underestimating her, Sasuke." Soma warned.

"It's fine. I don't want to get anyone's hopes up just to lead them to disappointment." Fuyu countered with a light smile.

"Well" Naruto began quietly, "I don't know about you guys, but...I won't lose to any of you!" he claimed, pointing at the groups of genin that silently watched every move of the rookie genin.

"Naruto." Fuyu whispered warningly "Was that really a good idea?" she asked, motioning to the now irritated genin.

"Of course not, he's an idiot." Ritsu responded. _But I could've sworn I was going to do that first. _He thought to himself, pouting slightly.

"You all should probably keep things a little more quiet around here." a foreign voice advised from behind the group of rookie genin. "You're all making it obvious that you're the rookie genin that are participating."

"Who are you? Making yourself seem all high and mighty." Sasuke asked coldly.

The stranger smirked while pushing his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose with his middle finger. "Kabuto." he responded "I've taken the Chunin exams about 4 times now, I think I have the authority to warn you all about things like this."

"Forgive him, he isn't exactly sociable." Soma explained, ignoring the death glare he received from Sasuke.

"Hm. You're also making it obvious that you won't work well as a team." Kabuto added.

"We're not on the same team." Sasuke corrected.

"Ah. That explains things. Either way, don't give away all your secrets in one standing, whether it's intentional or not." he said before walking back over to his teammates.

"You two really do need to fix whatever happened between you." Ritsu murmured. "What if we're going to need each others help during the exam? It won't work as easily if you two have this rift-"

"Simple. Don't ask for our help." Sasuke countered, avoided Fuyu's concerned look. "It is an exam after all."

"Deal." Soma smirked.

"Stop it." Fuyu commanded softly. "I don't care what happened on the mission, but you both need to put it behind you. It doesn't matter if its an exam or not, we shouldn't be going against our fellow teammates anyways."

Sasuke shot a cold look at Fuyu, one that failed in wavering her stance. "So, what are you going to do if you have to fight one of us for the final exam."

"Forfeit." Fuyu responded instantly. "I'd rather remain a genin, then fight my own teammate just to earn a title."

Sasuke's glare eased slightly as he brought back to memory the few words he caught onto between her conversation with Iruka-Sensei. _"...I just don't want to go against him." "He's...my best friend." "I don't want to deal with it now! If that time ever comes, then I'll deal with it then. I refuse to fight Sasuke and you can't make me." _

Sasuke slowly took in a deep breath, letting it out just as slowly. _Even after all these years, Fuyu, I still don't understand why you go to such an extent with your kindness. _

"I'm with Fuyu on that one!" Ritsu declared. "Even if it's someone like Shikamaru or Choji, I'll probably think twice before fighting them."

_Neither do I understand why you have such an effect on people. Even with a simple smile, you manage to completely change someone's mind. _

"Alright!" a commanding voice called, dragging Sasuke out of his thoughts. "All of you, turn in your applications for a numbered paper and take your seat at the number!" he commanded, looking over every face in the room. "I am Ibiki Morino and I will be the conductor of the 1 part of the Chunin exam which is a written test."

_A written test? _Fuyu asked herself, gazing at Ibiki curiously. _Perfect. _

_A written test? How does that prove if we should be Chunin or not? _Sasuke asked himself, clenching his fists lightly. _Waste of my time._

"What are you waiting for! Get your number, and sit in that seat!" Ibiki repeated loudly.

Finally obeying his commands, the group of 6 genin walked over to a wide desk, and traded their applications for a small numbered paper, accompanied with their written exam.

_Number 34. _Fuyu thought to herself, edging her way towards the seats closest to the windows.

_67. _Sasuke thought to himself, as he shoved the small paper into his pocket, easily making his way to his numbered seat.

_I'm so glad I got a seat near the window. _Fuyu thought to herself, looking out the window which filtered the early morning sunlight into the room. _Hopefully...it'll start snowing._

_Number 13._ Ritsu thought to himself, spiriting over to his seat in the front of the room. _They must think I'm so talented that I have to be in the top 20! _He added, looking around the classroom for his teammates. _Too bad Soma and Fuyu are so far away, and then...the test doesn't look all the easy either. _He thought to himself, pouting slightly. _Never mind, I don't want to be in the top 20!_

_It looks like they separated the teams on purpose. _Sasuke thought to himself, slyly looking around the classroom trying to locate Naruto and Sakura.

"Aren't I lucky?" a voiced mocked from beside him.

"Soma." Sasuke growled. "You don't have to follow me around you know."

Soma held up the small paper, which read "68. Trust me, I have no desire to follow you around Sasuke." he retorted, taking his seat.

"You sure have the desire to start things though."

"Not quite. I have the desire to stop you from spoiling others intentions." He corrected quietly. "and by others, I mean Fuyu."

"What do you mean by that?" Sasuke asked, shooting a scowl to Soma.

"I understand you two have been friends since childhood, but you've changed dramatically since then. Fuyu on the other hand has maintained her personality, which I really don't want to be changed."

"And you feel like I have that on effect on people?" Sasuke finished.

"Exactly. Need I recall what happened on the mission?" Soma answered, looking over at Sasuke. "I don't care how many times she scolds us for acting this way, I won't let you win Sasuke."

"There won't be an opportunity to win or lose if I don't participate in your game Soma. And let me tell you this once, Soma. Your dumb game, won't have any effect on the friendship that Fuyu and I manage to have. You might think you know her, but you are sadly mistaken." Sasuke warned before directing his gaze to the front. "But, if you're stubborn enough, you won't find that out till she tells you herself."

Soma scoffed. "Your friendship with Fuyu is a touchy subject for you, isn't it? Tell me, does she know that her Birthday is the anniversary of your clans massacre? Or do you continue to hide it from her?" he whispered.

Sasuke grew silent, as he looked over at Fuyu from the corner of his eye.

"But that's fine, Sasuke. I like challenges."

"_Your friendship with Fuyu is a touch subject for you, isn't it?" _Sasuke clenched his fists underneath the table. _When did I let it have such a bearing on me? _

"Before we start the exam, let me explain a few rules." Ibiki began, facing the board. "Anyone caught cheating will be automatically disqualified. That persons team will be disqualified as well." he added, looking over his shoulder with a sly smile.

Every pair of the rookie genin's eyes widened slightly at such a rule.

_How the hell am I supposed to do this! _Naruto and Ritsu thought to themselves simultaneously.

_But this test, is close to impossible for anyone but me._ Sakura thought to herself before looking over at Fuyu. _And possibly even Fuyu, and of course Sasuke and Soma. But...what about Ritsu and Naruto? _She asked herself, sweat dropping slightly. _We're screwed because of them. _

"Damn it." Sasuke muttered to himself. _Naruto. _He growled mentally, looking over at the blond. _Don't screw this exam up so early. _

_Ritsu. _Fuyu and Soma thought as they looked over at the gray headed boy who's nerves were already wrecked.

_Just...try your hardest. _Fuyu added, looking at her teammate with sympathy.

_Don't get caught._

* * *

><p><em>Thank you so much for reading! Every read that my story gets means a lot to me. :)<em>  
><em>Please leave a reviewcomment about what you think about this chapter, and what I can/should work on. I'd really appreciate it!_

_-EZ_


	12. Fuyu 05

_**Fuyu 05. **_

"Let me remind you, this is a timed exam. In an hour, I will give you the 10th question to the test." Ibiki instructed "Good luck." he concluded with a sly smile.

As soon as the words flowed from his lips, Fuyu pulled her gaze down to the exam that laid before her.

_If a shinobi was hiding in the shadow of a 40ft tree perfectly, how far away would the shinobi be? _She read to herself mentally, looking over at the illustration next to the problem. _I didn't think math would be apart of the exam. _She thought to herself, looking up and almost immediately locking gazes with a chunin to her left.

She quickly diverted her gaze towards the tapping of a pencil on a wooden clip board, watching another chunin glare directly at the boy she sat next to.

_Why are there so many of them? _She asked herself, scanning around the classroom carefully. _They don't expect anything to happen, right-?_

"I forgot to mention this but, the chunin that are lined up on the two parallel sides of this room are carefully watching each and every one of you just to catch if you're cheating or not. Each time you're caught cheating, a point is deducted from your total score of 10. in other words, if you're caught cheating 10 times, you and your team are disqualified." Ibiki explained, looking over the the worried faces of the genin in front of him. "But no worries though, just don't cheat. Each team will need a total of 20 points to continue onto the next part of the exam." he chuckled mischievously.

Fuyu pouted slightly. _That just makes this exam even more nerve wrecking. _She thought to herself, gazing at the backside of her teammate, Ritsu. _If it's only 20 points out of 30, then if Soma and I answer each question correctly, then there's nothing to worry about. _She planned to herself looking back down at the exam.

_But what if I can't? _She asked herself, carefully folding the right corner of her paper.

_Why can't we just do a simple transformation jutsu like we did when we became Genin?_

:-:-:

Sasuke involuntarily tapped the eraser of his pencil repeatedly on the desk below him. _I hate to admit it, but even I'm having problems figuring out these questions. _He thought to himself, glancing over at Soma's blank exam. _Good thing I'm not the only one. _He smirked to himself.

"Have you figured it out yet?" Soma asked almost inaudibly.

"Figured out what?" Sasuke sighed back.

"That we're going to have to cheat in order to pass this part of the exams."

"We can't cheat. Each time we do, a point will be deducted-"

"That's the point. I'm guessing they want us to cheat to see how well we preform in gathering information undetected. Doesn't that sound reasonable?"

Sasuke sat back in his chair slowly, scanning over the 100+ genin that were in the same boat as he was. _Then that must mean there's someone out here with the answers. _He thought to himself, bringing his gaze back down to his exam.

"Two rows in front of us, third from the left." Soma clued almost silently. "I have a feeling he has all the answers."

Sasuke smirked quietly, silently activated his sharingan. _Don't think this will make anything easier between us._

Almost instantly, Sasuke acquired the complete answer to the first question with ease. _You'd think they'd __make it a little more complicated. _He thought to himself, preparing to search for the next question.

Before focusing onto another exam sheet, his gaze involuntarily veered over to Fuyu who, seemed to be, flying through the test with ease.

A small, nearly invisible smile formed on his lips. _I wouldn't expect anything less from you, why should I be surprised?_ He asked himself, looking back at the exam of the genin that sat ahead of him.

_It seems like they've finally figured it out. _Ibiki thought to himself, noticing as a wave of calmness came over the Genin before him.

"Participant 35 is disqualified" A chunin announced, taking off the last point that genin had. "So are Participants 49 and 85."

"Participant 32 is also disqualified along with participants 12 and 4."

Ibiki smirked quietly. _They're not so good at it though. _"You 6 turn in your exams. Better luck next time." he bidded as the two teams of genin left the room in defeat.

Fuyu's curious brown eyes watched as the 6 genin filed out the room, leaving everyone in pure silence.

"They really are serious about cheating." a male from Kusagakure commented quietly, pinning his gaze to his exam.

A sad, worried smile graced Fuyu's lips as she looked back down at her exam.

_I only have these three last questions left, then everything is up to Soma. _She thought to herself, gently rubbing her temples with her free right hand. _But then, there's no guarantee he's doing so well either. _She added, looking over at Soma from the corner of her eyes.

_And then there's Sasuke..._"_It's not fair to think about someone who's on a different team." _Fuyu sighed deeply as she involuntarily tapped the tip of her pencil on the 8th question repeatedly. _It doesn't hurt that if I think about others, especially Sasuke. _She reasoned to herself, looking through the series of windows that bordered the wall to the left of her.

_But in the end, worrying doesn't help anyone. _She thought to herself as she tore her gaze from favorable weather outside to the not so favorable exam that laid before her.

_This is my main worry right now, everything else will just have to be dealt with later._

:-:-:

50 minutes have passed by since the beginning of the first part of the chunin exams. The written test.

Sakura, Fuyu, Sasuke and Soma finished with ease once they finally caught onto the underlying mission of the exam. That sadly leaves:

Naruto and Ritsu.

_10 minutes left. That's fine. _Ritsu thought to himself, looking up at the clock. _That's enough time to finish this exam! _He said mentally, looking down at 9 boxes that had various ninja doodles filling them.

He sweat dropped while pouting silently. _I wonder if anyone else is having as much problems as I am. _He thought to himself, looking over his shoulder at his 5 close friends. _Even Naruto looks like he's got an answer or two. _He added, sinking into his chair slowly.

_HOW THE HELL AM I GOING TO FINISH IN 10 MINUTES! _Naruto asked himself, panicking frantically. _I can't let Sakura and Sasuke down. Especially not in the first part of the exams- _

"_There will be 10th question, after an hour has passed, I will explain it to you." _Ibiki's voice rang through Naruto's mind. _That's it! I'll just wait till the 10th question. That counts as a point doesn't it? _He thought to himself, sitting back in his chair taking a sigh of relief.

_I guess my best bet will be to put everything on this 10th question. _Both Naruto and Ritsu thought to themselves, waiting for the short minute hand to strike 12.

"Participants 98, 120, and 21 are disqualified." a chunin announced with a devious smile.

"That's just too bad. You three only had 10 more minutes to hold onto that one last point." Ibiki commented, watching the saddened Genin file out the room.

:-:-:

A few more moments passed by accompanied with silence, and the constant disqualification of various Genin and their teams.

The anxiety of the few remaining Genin began to build up as some struggled to find the answer to that last question, others begging that their teammates won't get caught, and the rest just wanted to get out of their situation onto the second part of the exams.

_We've gotten this far without Ritsu getting caught. _Soma thought to himself, as his gaze jumped from person to person. _Then I'm sure Fuyu's completed hers with ease, I wouldn't expect any less from her. _Soma let out a deep sigh, finally relaxing completely. _Now, all that's left is the 10th question. Then onto the 2nd part. _

_Then I'm that much closer to having the possibility of fighting Sasuke. _Soma thought to himself looking over at the stoic Uchiha from the corner of his dark brown eyes.

"_I don't care how many times she scolds us for acting this way, I won't let you win Sasuke." _

"_There won't be an opportunity to win or lose if I don't participate in your game Soma. And let me tell you this once, your dumb game, won't have any effect on the friendship that Fuyu and I manage to have." But, you won't find that out till she tells you herself." _

"_Tell me, does she know that her Birthday is the anniversary of your clans massacre? Or do you continue to hide it from her?" _

The exchange of words between the two young genin replayed once again in Soma's mind.

_I guess I'm going to have to drag that competitive spirit of yours out of you, Sasuke. _Soma thought to himself, waiting for the 10th question to finally roll around. _Exactly how I did during the mission to Kirigakure. _

"Alright!" Ibiki exclaimed, easily gaining the attention of all the remaining Genin. "An hour has passed, which means it's finally time for the 10th question." he explained, scanning over the worried expressions before him.

_Alight! The 10th question. _Naruto thought to himself, literally sitting of the edge of his seat.

_C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, ask it already! _Ritsu demanded, chewing on his bottom lip nervously.

Fuyu sat up straight involuntarily in her chair as the words "It's finally time for the 10th question." finally rang in her tan ears. _This is it. _

Sasuke smirked to himself. _Let's get this over with. _

_Let's take the 10__th__ question head on._

:-:-:

"_Ritsu, Naruto, Sakura. You three stay with Tazuna." Nagare instructed in the thick mist that surrounded the two teams of Genin. "Fuyu, Sasuke and Soma, you three stay with Kakashi. Try and make this as quick as possible." _

_"You got it." Soma replied quietly. _

_Sasuke simply grunted in understanding while Fuyu nodded her head lightly, keeping her eyes on Kakashi's every movement. _

"_You guys did ask to have more intense missions, didn't you?" Kakashi asked,amusement lining every word that flowed through his mouth. "Let's go ahead and execute formation B." he instructed, getting into a fighting stance, slowly lifting his headband from his left eye. _

_Following their orders, Fuyu, Sasuke and Soma each weaved various hand signs needed for their jutsu._

"_Hyoton: Yukifuri no Jutsu." Fuyu summoned, causing a smaller variation of the Saatchi clan's signature jutsu to form. _

_Taking the surrounding snowflakes to his advantage, Soma weaved the last sign he needed for his newest and most favored jutsu he knew: "Lightning release: Spider Trap." _

_With those few words, the surrounding snowflakes slowly took on an electrical state. _

_Weaving the final sign he needed, Sasuke took in a deep breath preparing to preform "Kanton: Phoenix Flower Jutsu." _

_the snowflakes easily evaporated, only leaving small balls of electricity traveling straight towards Zabuza. _

_Before their assault could effect them though, using the shield of the Hidden Mist technique, he sprinted silently towards the weakest link in formation B:_

"_Fuyu!" Kakashi called out, instantly catching onto his intention. "One of you, protect your teammate!" Kakashi ordered, straining to see through the thickness of the mist ._

_Both Sasuke and Soma raced towards Fuyu only to collide into each other, defeated both of their purposes. _

_With one swift hit, Zabuza landed a bone crushing punch straight into Fuyu's stomach, sending her back towards Nagare with worrisome speed. _

_Recovering from their collision, both Soma and Sasuke strained to see through the mist, searching for their teammate. _

_Already prepared for another strike, Zabuza came through the mist readying another hit on the two genin that allowed the condition of their teammate to cloud their mind. _

"_Soma! Sasuke-!" Kakashi warned, only to be interrupted by a swift kick piercing through Zabuza's right side, sending him to a large tree slumping over in defeat. _

_Knocked unconscious, his hold on the Hidden Mist Technique failed giving the two teams their vision back. _

_With all urgency, Kakashi sprinted over to Zabuza's limp body, checking for a pulse as Nagare sprinted back towards Fuyu, checking for the same thing. _

"_Is she going to be alright?" Sakura asked worriedly._

_Nagare remained silent as he finally took his two fingers away from the conjuncture of Fuyu's neck. _

"_What happened with you two?" He asked, looking over at the approached Soma and Sasuke._

"_I'm guessing a miscalculation." Soma responded quietly, before shooting his gaze over at Sasuke._

"_A miscalculation that almost caused your teammate her life." Nagare countered as Kakashi approached the group._

"_But she's going to be alright, right?" Sasuke asked, wanting to get to the point._

_Nagare sighed deeply. "Yes." he replied quietly, looking back down at his unconscious student. "but nevertheless, this shouldn't have happened."_

"_If it's needed, my home isn't too far off." Tazuna suggested quietly, looking down at Fuyu with sad eyes. _

"_Thank you." Kakashi mumbled, watching keenly as Nagare slowly picked her up with care._

"_Let's go." he commanded quietly, waiting for Tazuna to lead the way._

_:-:-:_

_Fuyu, still unconscious, laid quietly on a small makeshift bed that was situated in the living room of Tazuna's home. _

"_She should be fine, she'll be in a lot of pain tomorrow, but she'll be fine nevertheless." Kakashi explained, noticed the worried looks that stained his students. _

"_It wouldn't have happened if you knew your place Sasuke." Soma claimed quietly, only so Sasuke could hear. _

"_What do you mean?" Sasuke asked quietly, his mind being preoccupied y what happened to Fuyu._

"_She's not your teammate. You shouldn't have rushed towards her, otherwise you wouldn't have gotten in my way."_

"_Don't make a big deal about it Soma." Sasuke responded quietly. "She's going to be fine."_

"_Either way." Soma countered, looking over at Sasuke. "I rather that not happened anyways."_

"_So you're blaming this on me?" Sasuke asked, finally directing his glare over to Soma. "Because I tried to protect her?" _

_Soma shrugged lightly. "She isn't your teammate." He repeated. _

"_That shouldn't matter." Sasuke countered coldly. "I should protect her whether she's my teammate or not." _

"_I don't disagree with you on that, but her actual teammates should go to her aid before anyone else."_

"_I think friendship comes before being teammates." Sasuke replied softly, as he allowed his mind to slip back into a trance. _

_Soma stood up slowly, before looking down at Sasuke. "just remember, if myself or Ritsu is around, let us handle it."_

"_What is this, a contest?" _

"_If you don't listen to me, it vary will become a contest." he replied warningly before walking out the living room. _

_Sasuke silently watched as he disappeared around the corner before his eyes caught onto Fuyu who was stirring slightly._

_Since when did this become a contest between teammates? He asked himself, maintaining his gaze on Fuyu._

* * *

><p><em>Thank you so much for reading! Every read that my story gets means a lot to me. :)<em>  
><em>Please leave a reviewcomment about what you think about this chapter, and what I can/should work on. I'd really appreciate it!_

_-EZ_


	13. Fuyu 06

_I'm sorry if this chapter is suckie to you, I wasn't sure on how to bridge the ending of the 1st phase to the 2nd one~  
>The next chapter will be better I promise! (Only because it's the beginning of the 2nd part or the chunin exams! I'm excited!) *Major Dork Here*<em>

:-:-:

_**Fuyu 06. **_

"Alright!" Ibiki exclaimed, easily gaining the attention of all the remaining Genin. "An hour has passed, which means it's finally time for the 10th question." he explained, scanning over the worried expressions before him.

_Alight! The 10th question. _Naruto thought to himself, literally sitting of the edge of his seat.

_C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, ask it already! _Ritsu demanded, chewing on his bottom lip nervously.

Fuyu sat up straight involuntarily in her chair as the words "It's finally time for the 10th question." finally rang in her tan ears. _This is it. _

Sasuke smirked to himself. _Let's get this over with. _

"But before I ask the 10th question, let me explain something to you." Ibiki began, taking in a shallow breath. "If you get this 10th question incorrect, you will not be able to advance to the second stage, nor will you be able to retake the chunin exams next year. So I give you this choice:" he paused "Leave now and avoid getting this question incorrect and have the chance to retry next year."

_This whole part of the exam depends on this question? _Fuyu asked herself, her honey brown eyes widening slightly. _Could it really be that hard?_

_I said that I was going to put everything on the line for this question, no need going back on that now! _Ritsu thought to himself, taking in a deep breath.

_Alright, the last question. Hopefully it isn't as hard as he's portraying it to be. _Sakura thought to herself, involuntarily looking over at the backside of a trembling Naruto. _Don't you dare raise you hand to leave Naruto. _

_So it's come to this, hasn't it? _Naruto asked himself, clenching his right hand tight. _I most likely won't be able to answer this question correctly..._He added, beginning to raise his hand slowly accompanied with many other genin.

Sasuke's gaze shot over to Naruto's tan hand slowly floating up. _No! What are you doing idiot! _He thought to himself, clenching his own right hand.

Soma smirked to himself. _Looks like you won't be getting this far this year. _

_Please don't Naruto. _Fuyu begged mentally. _You have so many promises to fulfill, don't let this one question stop you. _

"Are you giving up?" Ibiki asked, directing his question to Naruto.

Naruto's hand dropped back to his side as he stood up abruptly. In one swift moment, his hand collided roughly on the desk below him. "I don't care if I remain a genin forever! I will become Hokage either way, and nothing, not even a stupid question, will stop me!" he barked confidently.

Sakura sighed deeply in relief.

_I should've known you would've done something like that. _Sasuke thought to himself, smirking lightly, gently unclenching his hand.

A small smile graced Fuyu's lips. _I know you wouldn't go back on your word, Naruto. _

Ibiki smirked loudly. "Then that will be all who gives up? This will be your only opportunity to leave the exam unscathed." he explained, scanning across the classroom. "Alright...then all of you pass!" he announced.

A nearly deadly silence came over the room.

"What? What was the 10th question?" Ritsu asked, standing up from his seat. "What do you mean we pass? You didn't ask the 10th question, did you?"

"I did." Ibiki responded smugly. "It wasn't so much a question though. I was testing to see if you were strong enough to continue, even knowing that there was a large possibility that you would fail completely. There will be many situations in your career as shinobi where you will have to make decisions that may or may not cost your life." He explained clearly.

"Ha! I knew that. See, that's why I didn't leave." Naruto claimed, fixing his headband.

With a fond smile, Ibiki once again examined the possible chunin that sat before him. "You will all now continue to the 2nd part of this exam. It will be-"

Just as the last sound left his lips, a large ball of cloth flew through the window, exploding in a large puff a smoke into a curtain.

"Shut up and pay attention maggots!" a voice commanded from the smoke. "I'm Anko Mitarashi. And I will be the conductor of the 2nd part of the Chunin Exam." she introduced, finally getting the opportunity to look at the amount of Genin before her. "Ibiki!" she called "There's over 70 people in here. You've truly gotten soft."

"I can't help if we have a good batch of candidates this year." he replied.

She sighed deeply. "It's fine. I'll get rid of half of them by the time I'm done." she replied mischievously, looking back at the Genin. "All of you! Report to your Jonin commander for the location of the 2nd exam! Be there by 8:30, or you'll automatically be disqualified!" she explained before weaving a single sign. "Oh, and be prepared to die." she added, before disappearing completely.

All the Genin looked over at their teams worriedly.

_Be prepared to die? _Fuyu repeated to herself. _Hopefully...that wasn't meant to be taken seriously. _She reassured herself, knowing that the complete opposite was true.

"Well. You heard her." Ibiki began, walking under the curtain. "Good luck to each of you. You will all definitely need it."

"All of you are dismissed!" a chunin announced, standing up from his seat.

Slowly, Genin by Genin filed out and congregated with their teams.

"Fuyu! Soma!" Ritsu called, approaching his team frantically. "We did it! We've made it through the first part of the exam!"

Fuyu smiled brightly. "How did you do on the test by the way, Ritsu?"

"Well, about that." he chuckled, rubbing the back of his head nervously "I sort of didn't answer a single question. But it's alright! Just as long as we made it through."

Soma sighed loudly while Fuyu looked upon her teammate with amused eyes.

"We can't forget that we have 2 other parts to get through, Ritsu." Soma reminded, walking through the white double doors they arrived through.

"I'm sure we'll do fine on those two parts also, Soma." Fuyu confessed quietly. _Although, what Anko said isn't exactly helping me in the slightest. _

"I agree with Fuyu!" Ritsu agreed, rushing through the doors of the Academy. "We've already started off strongly, there shouldn't be a reason why something should go wrong now."

"You didn't answer a single question on the exam Ritsu." Soma explained.

"And! We still advanced, didn't we?" Ritsu responded, pouting slightly.

Slowly trailing behind her two teammates, Fuyu took in a deep breath of the cool winter air that surrounded the village. _I still wished I had their confidence. _She thought to herself, smiling sadly. _But what if we don't make it through the 2__nd__ part- _

Fuyu's thoughts were cut short by a gentle snowflake floating from down from the sky. Her keen eyes constantly locked onto various snowflakes as they began coming down in droves, covering the ground below her while carefully sticking to her light brown hair.

Holding out her bare hand, she happily welcomed the cool chills she received from several snowflakes gathering in her palm. _If only my life could be as simple as this. _She thought to herself, blowing away the snowflakes. _But if it was, it wouldn't be nearly as interesting. _She added, rushing to catch back up with her teammates.

:-:-:

Team 13 slowly closed in on the large Oak Tree that they deemed as their personal meeting place.

Snow slowly covered over the landscape and stuck to the few leafs that managed to survive autumn.

"Well, how'd it go?" Nagare asked, noticing his students approach him slowly. "Was it what you expected?"

"Not even close." Ritsu responded immediately. "I think it was a big joke! The 10th question, wasn't even a question!" he complained.

Nagare chuckled deeply. "I'm sorry Ritsu. But at least you made it to the 2nd part, right?"

"Exactly! That 2nd part doesn't stand a chance."

Nagare smiled fondly as his hyper student before looking over at his two reserved ones. "What did you two think of it?"

"Nerve wracking." Fuyu admitted timidly. "I think it was the fact that we had several chunin by our side, watching our every move."

Nagare laughed heartfully. "Yeah. I was thinking you'd say something about that Fuyu. Sadly, that will be something you're going to have to get used to for future missions and assignments."

"But why would we have Chunin watching what we do on missions?" Fuyu asked curiously.

"It's because they wanted to see our ability in gathering information." Soma answered. "You didn't figure that out?"

Fuyu shook her head slowly. "I didn't think that was the point. Ibiki-senpai did emphasize the rule of not cheating."

"Even thought you didn't catch onto that, and didn't practice your information gathering skills Fuyu, at least now you know that you have solid self-control. That in itself is a better quality to have over all." Nagare commended sincerely.

Fuyu smiled brightly. "Thank you, Nagare Sensei." she replied bowing slightly.

Ritsu cleared his throat. "Do you think we could get something to eat instead of standing in this snow?" Ritsu suggested, shivering mildly.

"I think it feels fine." Fuyu confessed, looking up at the sky.

"That's because you're used to the cold Fuyu." Ritsu responded sadly.

"Alright, alright. I've already planned to meet Kakashi's team at the ramen shop. Is that good enough Ritsu?" Nagare asked kindly.

"You bet!" he responded, perking up immediately. "What are we waiting for! Let's go!" he commanded, absentmindedly taking hold of Fuyu's wrist and dragging her in the direction of the market district.

_That kid. _Nagare mused to himself, smiling lightly before looking over his right shoulder at his quiet student.  
>"Something bothering you, Soma?" he question. <em>Or someone. <em>

Soma's gaze shifted to his sensei's forest green eyes, locking onto them before he cracked a small smile. "Just thinking about what tomorrow'll be like. Nothing to be concerned about." he replied, heading in the same direction his two teammates disappeared to.

Nagare stood silent, as he slowly watched his student disappear from sight. _Why is all of this happening now, now of all times. _He sighed to himself, pushing his feet forward.

_Why do I have such a bad feeling about all of this?_

:-:-:_  
><em>

Finally sheltered from the cold, the group of 6 genin and their Sensei huddled around a small table, almost silently waiting for their food with exception of the periodic whisper.

"Food." Naruto and Ritsu drooled as they watched the two chefs whip up their orders.

Fuyu's eyes curiously darted from each thing, carefully studying the details of the small ramen shop. Her nose winkled once the scent of chicken flavored broth and bell peppers hit her sensitive nose. _I wonder how far we'll actually get. _She wondered to herself, quickly glancing at her two teammates.

_I wonder if I'm the only one worrying about this. _She added, pouting to herself. _There's no way they can be that confident, right-?_

"Fuyu." Nagare called, gaining her attention.

"Yes, Sensei?" she responded, her curious honey brown eyes watching him as he rose from his seat swiftly.

"I have something I need to tell you." He replied, motioning to the door. "But I don't want to tell you in front of this nosy bunch."

She smiled lightly before nodding her head, following her sensei out the entrance to the modest ramen shop.

Fuyu took in a deep breath once the refreshing cold breeze hit her face. _Why can't the weather be like this year round? _

Nagare lead her a little ways away from the ramen shop, far enough to still be seen but not heard. The previous light snowfall almost completely covered the ground below them, crunching softly with each step they took.

"Do you have any idea what's going on between Soma and Sasuke?" Nagare whispered bluntly, bending slightly into her ear.

"Not exactly." Fuyu responded quietly, digging into her mind for any hints of what might've caused such a disturbance. "Why? Is something going to happen-?"

"Have you tried talking to either one of them?" he questioned further, looking into her brown eyes.

Fuyu grew silent as her mind went into a frenzy to why he would be so interested in it all the sudden. "I've tried telling them both to stop, but..." she paused "but Soma kept at it."

"In that case" Nagare began "I need you to try to get to Sasuke. Whatever is going on between them is not going to bare any good benefits. I'm sorry if this alarms you, but just try to keep those two at bay as much as you can-"

"Why have they been acting like this?" she asked curiously "Ever since the mission to Kirigakure, nothing has been the same. It feels like the tension between them is increasing everyday, but there's no way to stop it."

Nagare took in a deep breath. "I believe that you'll find a way Fuyu." he responded, allowing his eyes to drift shut slowly. _Although, it's up to those two to follow it. _"Listen, all I need you to do is try. Everything else is in their hands. Understand?"

Fuyu's eyes carefully studied her Sensei's expression. What his eyes were saying. How his jaws were slightly clenched. How his lips were being pursed shut. How many small winkles have been forming since they returned from the mission.

Despite her curiosity itching frantically, she went against asking about it any further. "I'll try my best, Sensei." she finally responded, forcing a reassuring smile onto her lips.

Nagare's face softened greatly at his student's smile. "I know you will Fuyu." he responded, placing a gentle hand onto her head. "Let's go eat now?" he asked, looking down at her.

Fuyu nodded her head firmly up at her sensei before looking back ahead of her, glimpsing a view of her teammates already eating their food. Glimpsing the glances that Soma and Sasuke exchanged with each other in a matter of seconds. _What is going on between you two?_

:-:-:_  
><em>

"Naruto, Kakashi Sensei and I are going to go practice a little more kunai throwing. Any of you four wanna come?" Ritsu offered, excitement gleaming in his eyes.

"Can't, I'd rather get some sleep for tomorrow." Sakura responded happily. "I do need my beauty rest."

Sasuke scoffed.

"In that case, would you mind if I escorted you home, my fair lady?" Nagare offered, holding out his arm.

"Of course not." Sakura giggled, hooking her arm into his.

"Good luck tomorrow you 5." Nagare bidded before walking away with Sakura at his side.

"What about you guys?" Ritsu asked, looking back at his remaining teammates.

"I'd love to Ritsu, Naruto." Fuyu began kindly "But I'm sure my parents are already worried about me."

"What about-"

"C'mon Ritsu. Let's go before it gets darker!" Naruto called from beside Kakashi sensei.

"Suit yourself." Ritsu mumbled, running over to his sergeant Sensei and Teammate.

"I'm guessing we're all heading the same way." Soma voiced, glancing at Fuyu and Sasuke. "This should be fun." he added tauntingly.

Sasuke's stoic onyx eyes glared right into Soma's dark brown eyes. "What's that supposed to mean-"

"You shouldn't have to be asking Sasuke."

"No, explain it to me Soma."

"Heh, I don't see the reason why I should-"

"Stop." Fuyu begged quietly, playing with a small bundle of snow that cooled her fingertips. "I don't know what happened between you two, and I don't care. Whatever it is shouldn't be affecting either of you this greatly. I know you two are greater than this, stop acting like children and just sort things out."

Soma chuckled softly, causing Fuyu's gaze to shift from the bundle of snow over to his brown eyes.

"If only you knew what we have between us, Fuyu."

"Then explain it to me!" Fuyu responded, looking at both Soma and Sasuke. "Please."

Soma looked over at Sasuke. "Explain _it _to her, Sasuke."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Soma, almost immediately catching onto what his was referring to. _"Tell me, does she know that her Birthday is the anniversary of your clans massacre? Or do you continue to hide it from her?" _Sasuke maintained his cool expression, despite his mind going into a slight frenzy.

"Well?" Soma pestered.

"I don't understand how anything of this became any of your concern, Soma."

"I made it my concern when she became my teammate."

Fuyu watched silently as both Soma and Sasuke sent retorts back and forth to each other. Her tan fists slowly tensed more and more with each passing second, just wanting this quarrel between them to end.

"Fine, then I'll tell her." Soma resorted before looking over at Fuyu. "I'm sure you don't know this yet but-"

"Please, shut up." Fuyu requested quietly, looking down at her feet. "I don't care to know what is going on between you two. All I want is for you two to fix it." she added, looking up at him. "I can't believe that both of you can act this childish." she scolded before turning away.

"I don't want to see anymore of this any longer. Tomorrow, please have all of this settled between you two." she commanded, slowly disappearing from sight.

The two Genin watched in a silent awe as she slowly turned around a corner.

_Was she actually angry? _Soma asked himself, trying to pull up a memory of her being upset.

Sasuke clenched his fists slightly, staring down at the snow white ground. "You bring that up again with her around Soma" he growled "You will not enjoy the results."

"Then tell her yourself. Before the end of the Chunin Exams. Or else I'll tell her when she's most weakest, just so her hatred can be stronger." he responded smugly before heading off in a different direction. "Good luck on the exam tomorrow."

Through enraged eyes, Sasuke watched as Soma slowly disappeared from his keen sight before releasing all the tension he held in his fists. _If only you knew how much it would hurt her than make her upset, Soma. _He thought to himself before regaining his stoic expression, and heading to his lone apartment.

* * *

><p><em>Thank you so much for reading! Every read that my story gets means a lot to me. :)<em>  
><em>Please leave a reviewcomment about what you think about this chapter, and what I can/should work on. I'd really appreciate it!_

_-EZ_


	14. Fuyu 07

_**Fuyu 07.**_

"Alright! All of you listen up because I'm only going to explain this once!" Anko commanded, striking fear and awareness into the potential Chunin that crowded before her.

"You've all be lucky enough to continue to the second part of this exam, but I can almost guarantee that more than half of you will no longer be lucky." she paused "From here on out, anything goes. Go out there with the intention to kill anyone that comes at you, after you, and possibly even with you."

"Have the intention to kill those that are with us?" Fuyu asked herself aloud. _Why would we have any reason to ever do that? _

"Psst. Fuyu." Ritsu called from the other side of Soma. "Don't worry about it, you can trust us the whole way." he reassured, sending a wide grin her way.

She forced a returning smile to grace her features, despite the knotting feeling in the pit of her stomach winding up more and more as the time passed by. She would do anything in the world to be able to see _any _prediction of what might happen during the second phase of the exams. To see if _any _of her teammates -her companions- will make it though. To see if she would make it through, _alive _at the very least.

But the words that just so happened to slip out Anko's mouth further crushed any trace of comfort she gained from Ritsu's words.

"Everyone that lives through this phase must participate in the third one. In other words, those of you who were planning on not proceeding to the final phase, will have to die to get out of this exam."

The eyes of each Genin widened slightly, the sudden addition to the already overbearing pressure registering in their sleep deprived minds.

With his usual stoic expression, Sasuke looked around him at the diverse faces that surrounded him. After a few moments, his eyes eventually landed onto the worried expression that failed to be hidden by his close female friend.

_Fuyu. _He chuckled to himself mentally. _You should at least have some confidence in your teammates at the least. _

"Hey! Sasuke-teme!" Naruto called, dragging Sasuke's attention away from the brown headed girl over to the hyperactive blonde. "Don't do anything that will make me have to kill you." he warned.

"Shut up, dobe." he sighed in response.

A lone 'humph' emitted from the throat of the blonde, as the group of three returned their attention back to the purple headed Jonin.

"Each team will receive one scroll. That team will be the only ones who will know what type of scroll they received." Anko began, retrieving two scrolls from a Chunin. "There are 14 lightning scrolls and 14 earth. In order to advance to the next level, each team has to has to attempt getting the scroll that they're not in possession of. In other words, only 14 teams will continue onto phase 3...idealistically. 14 if all of you happen to survive." she paused "Each team prepare to get your own scroll!" she commanded pointing over at a small table that was covered by a thick orange blanket. "Your team is disqualified if one person dies, or if one of you block heads decide to open up the scroll."

"After you and your team receives your scroll choose any one of these gates to enter through. The second phase will start in thirty minutes!"

Fuyu's brown eyes immediately shot over to a group of three that had slowly been inching closer and closer to Team Nagare. After a few moments of studying the three figures, one with a large composite bow that was almost as tall as the young genin and the one carrying it with a quiver hanging slanted on their back, the other with a large Kantana that seemed to way more than he did but nonetheless fit the personality that shown from his facial expressions, then the other, much smaller, teammate having a small Tanto that still posed a threat to Fuyu.

_They don't seem like they should be Genin. _Fuyu thought to herself, completely blocking out all the calls she received from her teammates.

As if the team of three heard her thoughts, the girl with dull blonde hair looked over her shoulder back at the Saatchi clans heir, her vibrant green eyes gazing right into curious brown ones.

"Aoi Hintou." Fuyu breathed inaudibly, bringing back all the events that happened just a day prior before the start of the first phase.

"_Anyways, since you're from the Saatchi clan...I'll be waiting for my opportunity to fight you." _

"_I mean, only if you're up to it, Fuyu-hime." _

Despite her otherwise fear inspiring demeanor, a light, kind smile formed on the young Archer's face as she turned around fully so as to approach the Hyuton user.

"Fuyu." she greeted as she stood eye to eye to her. "Don't die."

A nervous chuckled escaped Fuyu's lips. "I don't exactly plan on it."

"Great, because I want to fight you during the third phase. And I don't want any injuries to be holding you back." she replied with a smirk pulling at the corner of her lips.

Whether that was supposed to be intimidating or encouraging, Fuyu didn't know. All she could recognize was the feeling of her confidence level raising, even just a little.

A timid but firm smile found it's way to Fuyu's lips as she continued to gaze right back at the green orbs before her. "The same to you, Aoi."

She chuckled before leaning into Fuyu's right ear, looking over the brunette's shoulder. "My team and I will be looking out for you, just in case." she promised almost silently.

Fuyu grew silent as she looked past the blonde shoulder also, looking back her teammates who seemed as if they knew exactly what she was whispering. "But why-"

"I've already told you!" she responded, looking back into her brown eyes "I want to be the one who fights you at your best, so I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that no one gets to do that before me."

Fuyu's smile grew wider. "I'll try to do the same for you."

Aoi took a step back, a questioning look on her face. "I guess what they say about your clan is true. They have no trace of a temper whatsoever." she chuckled, regaining her demeanor "Anyways, good luck, Fuyu-hime." she bade, walking back to her awaiting team.

As she was walking back, she couldn't help but smile as an image of Fuyu's smile popped into her mind. _You really are an impressionable girl, aren't you, Fuyu?_

"So? How'd it go?" one of her teammates asked as she finally reached them.

"Yeah, you were over there for a while." the other whined quietly, looking back at the brunette who was already preoccupied with her team.

"Relax Hisui, Kyouichi." She replied, slightly amused. "She has our back, just like we have hers. Let's just make sure we live up to that promise, alright?"

"Who died and made you king?" Kyouichi mumbled.

"Shut up." she replied "Everyone knows I've been the _queen _since I was born, it shouldn't be a surprise to you."

Hisui failed to hold back a smirk at her reply, only earning a playful scorn from her. "Ready to have some fun?" the Kantana wielder asked, grabbing onto the handle of his Kantana out of habit.

"Hell. Yeah." Kyouichi answered firmly, with Aoi nodding in agreement.

_I can't wait till we're against each other, Fuyu. _Aoi thought to herself, looking back over at the Genin.

:-:-:

"Are you gonna tell us what all that was about?" Ritsu asked, looking over at Fuyu as they made their way to the Scroll Distribution table.

Fuyu looked over at her concerned teammate, and shot a warm smile his way. "It's nothing to worry about, Ritsu. I promise." she responded, deciding against telling them of the promise she made to the other Genin.

"Just as long as it doesn't affect us during the exam, it's fine with me." Soma voiced once they finally walked into the station.

"Jonin Commander's Name please." a chunin requested, scanning over the faces of Team Nagare.

"Nagare Shin." Soma answered quietly, reaching out for the lightning scroll he was being handed by the Chunin.

"Good luck to you three."

Soma nodded his head in a silent thank you, as he handed the scroll over to Ritsu while still in the shelter of the tent.

"What? Why are you giving me this?" he asked in a hushed voice.

"No one would expect you to have it, we've got to keep everyone on their toes." he replied quietly. "Just put it into your pouch and shut up."

Ritsu mumbled some incoherent words as he did what he was told, before following Soma out the tent with Fuyu trailing behind closely.

Finally having the opportunity to look over the place where they had been assigned to survive in, also the place where they can possibly die in, Fuyu slowly trailed her eyes from the bottom of the gate to the top of it which was bordered with barbwire.

She shook her head, trying to get rid of all the worst case scenarios that popped into her head that moment. _The last thing I want to do is let this forest intimidate me._ She thought to herself, forcing her confidence level to grow on it's own. _I have a promise to live up to. _

"Hey! Fuyu, Ritsu!" Naruto called from beside them. "You guys are just getting your scroll?"

The group of three silently exchanged looks between themselves, before nodding in response simultaneously.

"Well, what scroll did you all get?" Naruto asked, a little too loudly.

"What makes you think we'd tell you something like that, Naruto?" Soma asked, with a look of disbelief on his face.

"Well why not? Afraid we'll come after you?" Sasuke asked tauntingly as he waked up behind Naruto.

Soma returned the smirk. "Not at all. I'm more worried about going after _you_ guys when we've gotten desperate for a scroll."

"We wouldn't do that." Fuyu interjected quietly, looking over at Soma's dark brown eyes.

"It's a competition, Fuyu." Soma countered.

"That shouldn't make you want to go against your own teammates."

"It's fine, Fuyu." Sasuke interrupted. "How about we make a deal? We tell each other what scroll we received, and if we just so happen to have different ones, we vow not to come after each other."

Soma scoffed. "What makes you think we'll agree to that-?"

"Deal." Ritsu responded eagerly. "Think about it. If they have the same scroll as us, we could use it as an advantage on both sides. If they have a different one, then it'll still be an advantage to us, to serve as more incentive to complete this phase before them." He worked out aloud.

"Yeah! That makes sense!" Naruto agreed at his gray haired friend. "So, what scroll did you guys get?"

Knowing much better than to announce that precious information, Ritsu leaned over into Naruto's ear whispering: "Lightning."

"No way! We got Lightning too!" Naruto replied a little too loudly.

"Naruto!" Sakura scolded. "You said that way too loudly!"

Soma and Sasuke looked around them at all the predator like glares they received from various teams.

"Idiot." Sasuke sighed, looking back over at the blonde.

"You just made 42 new enemies for all of us, in a matter of seconds." Soma scolded, pinching the bridge of his nose tightly. "Now we have to be twice as alert."

"It'll be fine, Soma." Fuyu said reassuringly. "I have no doubt that we'll figure out a way to make it through successfully. All of us." she added, scanning over the faces of her 5 close friends before winding back to Soma's.

"Yeah, just as long as you three stay as far away from us as possible." Soma retorted, aiming it at Team Kakashi.

"With pleasure." Sasuke responded, before walking in the opposite direction, expecting his teammates to follow.

After looking up at Soma, and the back of Sasuke sever times, Fuyu walked after so as to take hold of his arm lightly.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke." she apologized. "Hopefully, after all of this is over, things will go back to normal." she finished, letting go of his arm.

"You should stop hoping on such ideals, Fuyu." Sasuke responded, without looking back at her.

A sad smile graced Fuyu's features. "Well, let's just worry about the now then, shall we? I wish you, and your team, good luck." she said quietly. "Although, I'm sure you won't need it." she concluded, heading back to her own team.

Once he finally felt his two teammates behind him, he continued his walk to the other side of the forest, wanting to get as much distance from team 13 as possible. Just as Soma requested.

Sasuke's fists tensed slightly as he looked down at them. _I wish you good luck too...Fuyu. _He thought to himself, before looking back up at the road before him.

Both literally, and figuratively.

:-:-:

"Alright! Whether you guys are ready or not, the second phase will be starting..." Anko paused looking down at the purple watch on her wrist. "Now!"

As soon as the last sound left her lips, all 28 gates flew opened, letting in all 84 genin into it's forests, to their success, or to their death.

"Alright! Let's do this!" Naruto said enthusiastically as he and his team walked through the gate.

"Dominate!" Ritsu yelled, sprinting from tree to tree, his adrenaline pupping furiously.

_It's only just the beginning. _The two hyperactive boy's teammates thought to themselves simultaneously with an accepting smile.

Being able to easily keep up with her enthusiastic teammate, Fuyu looked up at the sunlight that filtered through the canopy of trees, leafs and vines. Closing her eyes lightly, her left hand involuntarily rose to take a light, gentle hold onto the necklace that served as a constant reminder of her teammates.

_I'll do everything I can to keep both of you safe. Just like how you did for me in the Land of Waves. _

:-:-:

***Sadly though, the lone Uchiha was right. Fuyu's mind, which was so set on idealistic thinking, would be the completely wrong way to predict their future with. Fuyu's definition of 'normal' began to change as soon as she stepped foot through the gate. **

**The only question left to ask is: Will she survive the change?**


	15. Fuyu 08

_**Fuyu 08**_

"Alright," Soma began, landing into a small clearing with his teammates following suit. "I think the best thing for us to do at this moment is to come up with some sort of plan."

Ritsu nodded his head before looking over at his female teammate, Fuyu. "Got anything brewing in that pretty little head of yours, Fu'?"

Fuyu's round cheeks tinted a light pink. "Not yet. I can't exactly come up with a plan without knowing who we're going to be up against." she responded, adverting her gaze to the canopy of trees and vines above them.

"But I can come up with some sort of strategy, one that utilizes all the things we have around us." she offered, a small smile forming on her lips.

Soma nodded his head. "In the meantime, how about we go look for our first targets?" he offered, before sprinting off into the shrubbery, soon Ritsu and Fuyu followed suit.

A small frown replaced the smile that was previously on Fuyu's lips. _You both should know that I don't do well under pressure like this. Especially when there's so much on the line. _

Her right hand tensed slightly.

_What if the plan I come up with...fails? _

:-:-:

After sprinting from tree branch to tree branch since the beginning of the exam, Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura all landed into a large clearing, one that gave them an almost complete view of their surroundings.

"We need to come up with some sort of key word of phase that will let us know who our real enemies are, just in case we get separated." Sasuke suggested, quickly scanning the expressions that were on his teammates faces.

"Why? Do you really think either of us will get ambushed that easily, Sasuke-?"

"It's you I'm concerned about, Naruto." Sasuke interrupted. "You're the most air-headed out of the 3 of us."

Naruto's mouth snapped open just as he was about to retort something back to his bastard of a teammate.

"Be quiet and listen to what Sasuke has to say, Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed quietly, holding up a single fist to the blond.

"Alright, alright." Naruto responded, holding his palms up in an innocent fashion.

Sasuke let out a silent sigh. "If we get separated and come into contact with each other once again, one of us will ask 'Who is the god of the Storms and sea? Whom also obtains the Kusanagi sword?' the other must answer 'Susanoo-no-Mikoto, Futshuchi. The brother of Amateratsu.' any other answer should alarm you."

Sakura nodded her head firmly, catching onto every word that just previously flowed from Sasuke's blanched lips.

"Could you repeat it once more? I didn't get any of it?" Naruto asked, pouting slightly.

"How could you not've gotten it? I memorized it instantly!"

"I'm not repeating it Naruto." Sasuke responded simply, an invisible smirk pulling at the corner of his lips.

"I just wanted to make sure I got it all right!" Naruto fibbed.

"This exam is going to be a piece of cake, everything is already going so smoothly." Naruto expressed, reaching his hands out to the sky.

"I wouldn't be saying such things so soon, Naruto." Sakura sighed "We've still yet to get the other scroll, then on top of that, there's over 81 other people aiming for the same thing."

"It's nothing to worry about-"

Naruto's stopped mid-sentence, his keen fox ears honing in onto an eerie laughter that echoed around them, as if they were trapped inside an invisible dome.

"What was that?" Naruto asked in a hushed tone. "Did you guys hear that?"

"Shut up, Naruto." Sasuke growled, scanning their surroundings.

"Maybe it's just someone from the academy messing with our senses." Sakura suggested quietly. _At least I hope it is._

"You thinking that my dear," a foreign, uncanny voice began, shielding itself in the dense forestation that surrounded them.

The Genin's head immediately snapped to the direction that the voice emitted from, exerting their senses to the limit in order to pin it's location.

"Is the worst decision you'll make in your life." the voice continued "Possibly, even your last!"

With the last word, a large, ear piercing, gust of wind found it's way between the trio, separating them into their various places of collision.

Using his vigorous skills in both stealth and strategy, Sasuke easily found refuge under a thick bush. His shallow breaths gently moved the tuffs of grass that were blow him, the chilled dew seeping it's way through the front side of his clothing.

Of course, to the genius Uchiha, none of that mattered. The only thing that mattered at the moment was finding the person who could've preformed that jutsu so perfectly, defeating them, and getting to the tower.

If only it was as easy as it sounded.

_People sure are serious about this exam, aren't they? _Sasuke asked himself, scanning the area before him with a single kunai in his right hand.

His obsidian eyes snapped to the right of him as he heard the crunches of the slightly frozen ground react to someone walking over them.

"Sasuke!" Sakura chirped happily. "You're alright-!"

"Stop!" Sasuke interrupted, holding the kunai towards the roseate headed girl before him. "Who is the god of the Storms and sea? Whom also obtains the Kusanagi sword?"

"Oh, right." Sakura whispered, nodding her head slightly. " Susanoo-no-Mikoto, Futshuchi. The brother of Amateratsu." she responded confidently, watching Sasuke being relax slightly as he put the kunai back to his side.

"Where's Naruto?" he asked quietly, walking closer to Sakura.

"Hey! There you guys are!" a Naruto exclaimed, running towards them.

"Stop Naruto." Sakura began. "Who is the god of the Storms and Sea? Whom also obtains the Kusanagi sword?"

"That's easy! Susanoo-no-Mikoto, Futshuchi. The brother of Amateratsu!" he responded, his trademark grin growing across his tan face.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly as he sent a kunai straight towards Naruto, causing him to dodge it with speed and precision.

_Too perfect. _Sasuke thought to himself, pulling six more kunai between his fingers. "Where's Naruto?"

Sakura let out a quiet gasp, as her gaze shifted from Sasuke, to Naruto and back. "He answered the question perfectly Sasuke! That's Naruto!"

"That's the problem. The actual Naruto wouldn't have been able to remember all of that, much less dodge that kunai that easily." Sasuke responded "What do you think he wouldn't said if you were to ask him for the password."

"...Sorry Sasuke, Sakura. But I've forgotten the password." Sakura responded, pulling out her own kunai.

The Naruto before them scoffed quietly, his eyes shrouded in darkness. "I guess I shouldn't have expected any less from the students of the Copy-ninja. Or from the last student of the prominent Uchiha clan. Uchiha Sasuke." it replied with a certain snake hiss.

Sasuke tensed slightly as the person before them transformed back into what he assumed to be, their original form.

"Well, now that we've established that I'm not your precious teammate, why don't we start having actual fun? Let the battle of the scrolls begin." the -now- woman before them hissed, with a ominous smirk on her face. "Uchiha Sasuke."

_This feeling...why can't I shake this feeling off? _Sasuke asked himself, as he found that he couldn't move from his current spot.

_Why can't I move? _

:-:-:

"That...was way too close..." Soma panted, as his head rested back onto the tree that he and his teammates found shelter on. "What happened to our plan? It seems like it went out the window completely." he mumbled to himself, clenching his fists tightly. _Why couldn't we beat them? Their jutsu's didn't seem to outdo ours. Where did we go wrong? _He asked himself as the images of the team they previous fought came back to mind. Their cocky smirks, shallow remarks, and damage they caused Team Nagare haunted Soma constantly.

"They were just too strong." Ritsu finally responded, clutching his arm tightly. "We have to face the fact that there will be other people out here that we have no chance against. We can't beat ourselves up about it."

"No, that shouldn't have happened period. Especially with the plan that Fuyu came up with." Soma retorted, his irritation level rising slightly. "Whatever happened back there, must've been a huge mistake." he added, his voice going slightly raspy. "I refuse to believe that it was because we're weaker than them."

"I'm sorry." a small, apologetic voice whispered from another branch. "I should've came up with a better plan." Fuyu chuckled sadly, looking down at her injuries that littered her tan hands which were now covered with dirt and blood. _I knew it would've failed. _

"It's not your fault." Ritsu said reassuringly. "It isn't any of our faults."

"Both of you are too idealistic." Soma scolded. "It is our fault for now sticking with the plan one that would've have worked either, way mind you."

"I told you of the weaknesses of the plan Soma, but you still insisted on going through with it."

"I didn't think it would've had that many weaknesses, Fuyu."

"Weaknesses are weaknesses. You can't be upset at the fact that there were more than you expected. The plan has never been used, we haven't had any opportunity to test it otherwise." Fuyu responded in a hushed tone. "Ritsu's right. None of this is our fault. Maybe we should try another team, one that we can actually compete with-"

"No." Soma interrupted "We're going after the same team. I'm not going to let them continue onto the next phase with the satisfaction of knowing that we had to go after a weaker team because we couldn't beat them."

"I'm guessing you don't see what kind of condition we're in, Soma." Ritsu commented "Or maybe you're choosing to ignore it so your pride can take over. You must be nuts, the guy used an Acid jutsu for gods sake! How the hell do you expect any of us to overcome that!"

"It is my pride Ritsu! I'm sorry if I don't want to look like complete losers in front of other people. But I'm guessing that wouldn't be anything new to you, now would it."

Ritsu scoffed. "Then you go after that team alone. I'd rather not risk our Fuyu and I's life just to protect your ego."

"No!" Fuyu objected "We can't split up. Especially now of all times." she reasoned pleadingly. "Soma, if you're willing to give us at least a day to rest and for me to come up with another plan, then I'll be more than willing to go through with your idea."

"Why-?"

"But that's only if Ritsu agrees also."

Soma's gaze glided over from Fuyu to his platinum haired teammate. "I'm not willing to go after any other team, not unless we just _try_ with this one once more." he explained to Ritsu in a soft voice. "I admit it, I have a lot of pride that I'd like to keep in tact. But don't ever thing that for a moment, I'd let that get in the way of your safety. I wouldn't have suggested going after that team if I didn't have the faith that we couldn't pull it off."

"I just don't like it when you become all irrational like that. However, I'll be more than fired up to go after such a strong team again." Ritsu responded with a small grin pulling at his lips. "You know I can't back away from a challenge."

Soma chuckled. "Who would've known you knew what the word irrational meant, Ritsu." he joked. "1 day to rest and to come up with another plan, then we're after that team. Deal?"

"Deal." Ritsu and Fuyu agreed simultaneously.

A light smile found it's way to Soma's lips. "Let's get to it then." he added, jumping up into a high branch in the tree, with his two teammates following suit.

Just as Fuyu was about to jump onto another branch, she couldn't help but catch onto a faint crash to be followed by a shrill yell. She turned her head to where the commotion came from, allowing her brown hair to cascade down from her shoulders.

As much as she concentrated, she couldn't help but shake the feeling that the same shrill call for help came from someone she would least expect.

_Sasuke, _She thought to herself as she gently forced her eyes shut. _No, it can't be him. It's impossible. _She reasoned, sprinting after her teammates higher and higher into the canopy.

_Then why do I feel so uneasy about everything all the sudden? _Her fists clenched lightly.

_Please...Please be alright Sasuke. _

:-:-:

_Soma, Fuyu and Ritsu all stationed themselves in individual hiding places, still in sight of their teammates. _

"_Please, don't put all your faith into this plan Soma. There's so many weaknesses, I'm not capable of predicting what might happen." _

_Fuyu's voice echoed in his mind repeatedly as he forced his breathing to become easy and leveled out. _

_Soma, having honed onto a team that seemed to be taking a break, gave the signal to commence Fuyu's plan. 'We're putting everything on the line for this plan, let's not screw it up.' He thought to himself, moving from his hiding place down to the slumbering team, 6 kunai in hand. _

_In an instant, three pairs of eyes snapped opened, fixating their gaze on Soma. 'They sensed me already?' he asked himself, weaving several seals. _

"_Raiton: Spark Clone Technique!" Soma summoned, causing another, lightning charged, clone of himself to form beside him. _

_Weaving more seals he called, "Raiton: Thunder Hawk!" _

_With that he and his clone both formed a electric blue Hawk aura around them, with all the speed he could exert, he came down at the trio with one goal: getting the scroll of earth. _

"_Ritsu! Fuyu! Now!" _

"_Hyoton: Kori-kyo Mugen Meiro!" Fuyu called, causing a small scale of the Saatchi clan's signature jutsu to form. An ice maze formed around the genin team, leaving them slightly bewildered. _

"_Kanton: Burning Palm!" Ritsu called, sprinting out of the protection of the tree, aiming his jutsu inside the walls of the ice maze. _

_Both Soma and Ritsu took the trio head on, sending large balls of fire their way. _

_Barely giving the male a chance to dodge several fireballs, Soma's clone collided with him, temporarily paralyzing the male. _

"_Sorano! Tomo!" he called "Don't allow him to touch you!" _

"_Fire Release: 20 Mile Explosion!" a foreign voice called, causing the ice maze to melt away slowly. _

_Fuyu tensed slightly. 'That was the only thing that protected Soma and Ritsu', she thought to herself panicky 'The plan failed.' _

_Sprinting off from several branches, Fuyu landed into the clearing beside Soma. _

"_What are you doing-?"_

"_Hyoton: Tsurara!" she called, causing a large ice spear to form in both hands. With all the power she had in her arms, she threw the spear right to the two female teammates that slowly inched towards Ritsu. _

_One easily dodged the large projectile, while the other became injured in her shoulder with the thick ice. _

"_Damn!" she exclaimed, before turning around to face Soma and Fuyu. _

_The other, taking advantage of the situation, sent a bone crushing kick to Ritsu's right arm. _

_The deep sound of his arm cracking loudly, echoed through the forest despite the commotion that occurred around them. _

"_Sansei Awa no Justu!" the male called, causing a wave of dark colored bubbles to travel towards Soma and Fuyu. _

_Taking a firm hold on Fuyu's torso, Soma grabbed her and Ritsu, pulling them both into the trees above. Looking back over on his shoulder quickly, Soma's anger slowly started bubbling up. _

_'That shouldn't have happened.' he thought to himself, taking he and his team as far away as possible. 'What the hell happened back there?'_

_The male scoffed. "What cowards." he commented, watching Team Nagare make their risky escape. _

"_Maybe we were too hard on them?" his female teammate suggested. "they didn't seem all that strong to begin with." _

"_No, Sorano, we weren't too hard on them. If we were, they would've been dead." _

"_You know, Dachi, maybe we should actually target people who are worth our time." _

"_You might be right Tomo, but they'll be the ones who will be coming after us. Besides, it's our plan to give them the scroll, we just want to have a little fun with it." _

_Tomo sighed loudly. "Whatever, let's just go get the replacement scrolls from now." she commanded, before sprinting into the opposite direction. _

"_Good idea, Tomo!" Sorano agreed, sprinting off behind her._

_Dachi lingered back for a while, a thin smirk on his lips. "Until then, team Nagare." _


	16. Fuyu 09

_**Fuyu 09**_

2 days have already passed.

Those short 2 days, took every opportunity they had to test the willpower, teamwork and endurance of team Nagare.

Soma let out a shallow breath as he panned the area that surrounded them, currently shrouded in darkness. "As far as I know, the team should be right ahead of us."

Ritsu, Fuyu and Soma shielded all traces of their being as they carefully watched another group of Genin gather their rations of water from a neighboring creek.

"Don't get too much, it'll just slow us down." a male advised, looking over at his two female partners. "Let's go ahead and try to find a Heaven scroll. I want to get out of this forest as soon as possible."

"I don't blame you, this place is giving me the creeps."

Soma waved up both his index and ring finger to gain the attention of his two teammates. "Their guard is at it's lowest now, I think it'd be best to go at it." his adrenaline started to flow to every limb in his body, preparing him to engage in a very anticipated fight.

"Alright then boss." Ritsu responded in a hushed tone "What's the plan?"

Soma grew quiet as he looked back over the hedge they were hiding behind. His eyes widened slightly as he scanned the clearing that was before them, only to see that it was completely empty.

"Damn it." he mumbled to himself, still peering over the ledge. "They're gone." he added, standing up completely.

Fuyu's keen eyes looked over the landscape that surrounded them. Trying to identify the different trees, bushes, vines...bugs that thrived freely in the forest.

"Alright, now all we're concerned with is sticking to the plan. You both understand and remember it right?"

Fuyu and Ritsu nodded her head, raising up from her crouching position to station herself safely behind Ritsu and Soma.

"Don't allow them to separate us." Soma stated simply.

From the shadow that shrouded the forest behind Fuyu, two pairs of hands came from behind her; one covering her mouth completely and the other pulling her torso back.

"Do anything to alert your team, and we'll kill you." a voice threatened, whispering into her tan ear.

Fuyu let out a jagged sigh as her light brown eyes looked over from the corner of her eye to finally identify the voice to the male that mysteriously disappeared from before them just moments earlier.

"Now, I'm going to trust that you'll do what I said." he cooed, pulling his hands away from her mouth.

Her eyes clamped together tightly, as she mentally scolded herself for being captured so early in the exam. _Damn it. _She thought to herself angrily. _How could I have allowed this to happen so soon. _A tear built up in the corner of her right eye, twinkling lightly in the sunlight that shined through the thick leaves and trees of the dense forest.

"Hey!" a familiar voice called from over the heads of Fuyu and her captor, causing brown eyes to shoot open.

_Ritsu._

"I don't think what you and your team was all that fair but," he paused, pulling out the Earth scroll and bouncing it in his right hand. "It ended up being to our advantage!"

Panicked, the male genin scanned his surrounding for any sign of his two female teammates.

He growled angrily, clenching his fists tightly. "What'd you do to Tomo and Sorano?"

Ritsu shrugged his shoulders as he put the scroll back into the pouch on his right hip, before jumping down from the branch between Fuyu and the other Genin. "I don't know which is which. But the one who attacked me ran off." he answered with a cocky grin. "Sorry about that., let's just consider it as pay back for what happened a few days ago, alright? I could tell you three are out of chakra. The fact that you went after Fuyu, who you knew was the weakest, gave it away easily."

"I should just take you down myself." he growled back in anger.

Fuyu switched back and forth at the back of her teammates head and the lone boy before them, scrambling her mind to come up with some sort of plan. Something that could buy them a little time at the very least until Soma could lend a hand..."Soma!" she exclaimed quietly. "Where is he?"

"I'm not sure, after you got pulled back the another girl separated us." Ritsu responded, keeping his dark green eyes fixated on his enemy before him. "I'm sure he's fine though-"

"I'm going to look for him." Fuyu announced firmly. "I can't let this plan fail again." she whispered, mostly to herself.

"I don't think I'm going to allow you to do that." Ritsu chuckled "I'd rather keep you in my sight, and worry about Soma later. I'm sure he can handle himself."

The boy before them let out a dark chuckle. "You're wrong. You've seemed to underestimate Sorano, your friend is probably already defeated. Maybe even dead."

Fuyu's eyes widened slightly, as her left fist tensed unintentionally.

"And now, I'm sad to say that it's the same fate for both of you."

"_But don't ever thing that for a moment, I'd let that get in the way of your safety. I wouldn't have suggested going after that team if I didn't have the faith that we couldn't pull it off." _

Soma's words replayed in Fuyu's mind as she watched the boy before them weave several seals before charging at them.

_I don't care if I put my life in jeopardy. _Fuyu thought to herself as she walked closer to Ritsu's side, her eyes keenly watching the boy sprinting to them both. _Because I made a promise to protect both of you, at the cost of anything. _

"Sansei Awa no Justu!" the male exclaimed, being a curved finger up to his mouth, taking in a deep breath before blowing, completely emptying his lungs for everything they've got. Hundreds upon hundreds of small black bubbles came towards the duo, dividing and growing each second.

_And I'd rather die than go against that promise!_

Just before the bubbles were to collide with the duo, the Dog seal found itself being woven by Fuyu's small hands. "Hyoton: Hyo-ryu kabe!"

At the very last second, a thick wall of ice formed before Fuyu and Ritsu, shielding them from the majority of the bubbles that were previously threatening them.

"Alright!" Ritsu exclaimed, looking through the block of ice before them. "That's the Fuyu I know! What's next?" he asked enthusiastically, looking down at his teammate.

Fuyu took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she registered the sudden surge of confidence that flowed through her. The same confidence that enabled her to protect her and her teammate from a jutsu that had every possibility of ending their lives so quickly.

Out of the corner of her eye, she looked up at her hyperactive teammate before smiling lightly.

Grabbing onto his arm lightly, she pulled him away from the threat, leaving the ice jutsu still in place. _The only thing I'm most concerned about is getting as far away from him as possible, then finding Soma. _

"Wait! Fuyu!" Ritsu called from behind her, not resisting her sudden desire to escape. "We're not going to fight him? I could've sworn you were all fired up!"

"We have to find Soma first." she replied simply, her brown hair whipping behind her as she jumped from branch to branch releasing of her hold on Ritsu.

"Hey!" another familiar voice called from behind the duo. "Fuyu-hime!"

Automatically identifying the only person who got into the habit of calling her that, Fuyu stopped on the branch just behind her, before looking over her right shoulder.

"Aoi." she whispered, noticing the 3 figures that were traveling behind her.

"I had a feeling that you lost something. I'm pretty glad that I didn't have to go running around for you though." she said cockily, landing onto a branch just a few before her. "Anyways, me and my team decided to bring him back." she added, pointing at a furious face behind her.

"I told you that I didn't need any of your help." Soma growled at her before jumping onto the same branch that Ritsu was situated on. "Who are you three anyways?"

"Oh shut up. Just be thankful that we got you back with your team." Hisui retorted. "I'm Hisui, that's Kyouichi and she, of course, is Aoi."

"How'd you get separated anyways?" Kyouichi asked, jumping closer into the core of the two genin teams.

"Well, sadly, you three just ruined our plan." Ritsu chuckled quietly. "But I guess it's alright, since we already have both scrolls."

"So it didn't work out?" Soma breathed. "You weren't able to-"

"No, not really. But two out of three is better than none!"

Soma let out a quiet sigh. "Did we at least get the scroll?"

"Hell yeah! Of course, we did. We wouldn't have left without it." Ritsu responded happily. "Now all that's left is getting to the tower, then we're homeward bound."

"I'm glad nothing serious happened to any of you. And I'm guessing you guys already have both scrolls?"

"Do you?" Fuyu asked quietly, finally recovering from her adrenaline rush.

"Well Duh. It wasn't all to hard. The hard part is getting to the tower alive." Aoi responded. "You guys gonna start heading there now?"

"That's the plan." Soma responded, looking over at his lightly tattered and bruised teammates. "Are you guys alright? Especially you, Fuyu?" he asked, noticing the exhaustion and worry in her brown eyes.

"I think I'll be fine." she replied quietly, rubbing her right eye lightly. "I'm just a little tired-"

"Fuyu!" Ritsu called, his hand reaching out for her.

Fuyu's world slowly went black, her friends voices blurring together till finally all she registered were the worried expressions on their face.

"-acid." was all Fuyu could voice out before she fell completely unconscious.

"Acid? Poisoned acid?" Aoi asked, looking over at Fuyu's teammates.

"We need to get her to a clearing first, this branch isn't going to hold with all our weight on it." Kyouichi advised, scooping Fuyu into his arms before jumped down to the clearing below them.

"Out of the fire and into the pot." Soma mumbled to himself, finding both teams in the middle of a battle between foreigners and a team that were all too familiar.

"Sasuke?" Soma questioned, noticing the eerie glowing curse mark that slowly took over his body. _What's going on-?_

"Grab Zaku and let's go before he kill us!" a female commanded, before sprinting off into the forest with her two -badly- injured teammate following.

"How could he expect us to kill him if he's already been bitten?" one mumbled to himself before disappearing completely.

"Sakura!" Ritsu called, gaining her dazed attention. "What's going on with Sasuke?" he asked, walking over to the duo before spotting an unconscious Naruto. "Wha-what happened?"

"Are you after our scroll also?" Sasuke asked, a dark undertone to his voice. "Well don't expect it to be so easy."

"Sasuke!" Sakura called after him, failing to gain his attention. "Sasuke!"

"If you want this scroll, you're going to have to kill me. That in itself will prove to be a true challenge." Sasuke continued, pulling out 4 kunai.

"We're not after you or your scroll Sasuke." Ritsu responded carefully, keeping an eye on his every move. "What happened to you?"

"What happened to me?" he repeated with an amused smirk "I can feel the power flow through my whole being! That's what happened to me. Don't tell me that you're...jealous?" he taunted.

"Not in the slightest."

"Sasuke!"

"We'll see about that." he chuckled before charging at Ritsu with a dark look in his eyes.

In a portion of a second, Sasuke found himself on the ground, the curse mark slowly receding. His hands reaching for a single arrow in his back.

"Sasuke!" Sakura called shrilly.

"Shut up!" Aoi commanded. "You're dragging too much attention to us!"

"What did you do?" Soma asked, walking over to the Uchiha.

"I didn't kill him, if that's what you mean. That arrow is full of a potion that causes paralysis." she explained, putting her bow away.

"So you paralyzed him?" Ritsu asked disbelievingly.

"Temporarily."

"So now we have 3 unconscious people to worry about." Ritsu responded, shaking his head. "This exam is full of surprises."

"Three? The only one we're going to worry about is Fuyu." Soma retorted. "Their team has no affect on ours."

"You know who would be extremely unhappy if they heard you say that? Fuyu." Ritsu responded. "We have to. It's our fault he's unconscious, then we just can't leave Sakura to worry about Naruto by her self."

Soma tensed slightly. "What happened Sakura?"

She shook her head, trying to get rid of the tears that brewed in the corner of her eyes. "I...I don't know." she whimpered. "Everything happened so quickly."

"Hey, it's alright." Ritsu reassured, placing a light hand onto her shoulder. "Take all the time you need, we have 3 more days left. There's no rush."

Sakura nodded her head once again, this time much slower. Taking in a deep breath, she calmed all the frayed nerves that bothered her up to this point. "It started with this woman who could summon snakes," she began looking over every face that watched her worried expression.

Soma's eyes veered over to the curse mark on Sasuke's neck. _That curse mark isn't going to cause anything but trouble. _He thought to himself before looking back over to his unconscious teammate.

_Is this what made you feel so panicked earlier, Fuyu? _

As if she knew his every thought, Fuyu's left hand moved slightly. Followed by a single tear running down from her eye towards her ear.

Looking back over at the Uchiha, Soma's gaze intensified. _I hope you're aware of the pain you're causing others, Sasuke. _

_One day, you're going to regret it all. _


End file.
